Do I Wanna Know?
by xXLadyRachelXx
Summary: Ever since party animal Adam Rose has debuted on the main roster, Brad Maddox has been dealing with conflicting feelings for the new wrestler. Little does he know what awaits him... Contains slash. Don't like, don't read.
1. Dreams

**Chapter 1**

**Dreams**

**Warning: this chapter contains male/male sexual content.**

It was just the two of them.

Lying in the queen bed with white sheets, Brad Maddox was hypnotized by the pair of green eyes looking at him. The owner of those eyes was lying next him, he smiled seductively and leaned over to plant a kiss on Brad's neck. The General Manager of Raw let out a soft sigh in delight, some strains of his lover's long dark brown curly hair tickling his skin.

The lover's hand gently touched his jaw line, gently trailing the fingers down. The fingers traveled southwards until they touched Brad's bare chest. Immediately, the lover searched for his nipple, knowing what would happen if he'd touch it. He found it and gently pinched the small nub of pink flesh with his thumb and index finger.

Brad slightly arched his back and a soft shaky cry escaped his mouth as the fingers massaged the most sensitive part of his body.

'More...' he whispered.

The lover smiled at the request. His hand went down once more, the fingers touching his stomach and the small bush of hair until they reached his hardening arousal. Brad closed his eyes and let out another cry.

'You're so adorable, Braddy...' the lover nearly purred with a British-like accent.

He moved his lips closer and kissed his neck once more. The lips on his neck, that wonderful touch... it made Brad squirm in delight. Having his eyes closed, he smiled from ear to ear.

'Hmmm... Adam...'

* * *

With a loud gasp, Brad woke up from his dream and sat up in bed.

Sweat trickled down his face when he looked around, his eyes wide with shock as he looked around him. He was not lying in the queen bed anymore; he was lying in his hotel bed with a mattress that had been clearly laid down on for many years. The 'lover' was gone. Disappeared in thin air, like everything else in the dream. Brad was back in his hotel room.

Looking to his right, Brad could see the green luminous numbers of the alarm clock. It was half past three in the evening.

'Damn it!'

Brad fell back with a soft thud and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Staring at the ceiling, he let out a sigh.

This had been the fourth time in this week. The fourth time, for fuck's sake! This had never happened before to Brad, he had never dreamt the same dream over and over again for four nights straight. Sure, Brad had sexually themed dreams before, that happens to everybody, but not like this.

But what disturbed him the most was the person who was with him in those dreams.

The General Manager of Raw frowned in disgust when he remembered.

Adam Rose.

Out of all people on Earth, of all wrestlers on the roster, he had to dream about Adam Rose. Ugh, Brad could feel his stomach clenching together, he was going to be sick.

He hated Adam Rose.

He hated everything about that idiot, from his habit of constantly sucking on a lollipop to his ridiculously carefree attitude. He was just... so... irresponsible. It all happened ever since that idiot was called up from NXT to the main roster. Brad immediately had wondered what Vince was thinking when he called him over. Immediately they had tried to let his gimmick catch on with the crowd... which wasn't really that much of success at first. But of course, that didn't stop Adam from partying and turning the backstage into a complete mess after the party was over. Adam's 'rosebuds', as he called his friends, were the absolute worst. Dressing up like utter morons and acting like animals, they were loud and sometimes some of them were even drunk. If Brad was having a conversation with Vince, Triple H or somebody else, they could barely hear each other because the rosebuds were so damn loud. And they would always chant that annoying tune of Adam's theme song... it nearly hurt Brad's ears.

One time, he was walking towards the backstage Creative Writers office to discuss something with one of the writers, when he had the most unfortunate luck to run into the rosebuds. Immediately they tried to convince him to join the crowd, the smell of alcohol nearly made Brad gag. And to make matters worse, the ringleader showed up. Brad was pretty sure Adam could read from his face that he had absolutely no intentions to join the party. But no, the fucker just had to go on and on. And at one point, he took a suck of his lollipop, took it out of his mouth and offered it to Brad. The General Manager of Raw was completely disgusted by the offer, told him to piss off and walked away. Then the rosebuds started to chant: 'Lemon! Lemon! Lemon!' That's how they would call people who had the right amount of brain cells to not join them. Brad ignored their chant and moved on.

After that little incident, nor the rosebuds nor Adam had bothered him ever since. However, he did see him sometimes backstage, before or after a match. And that's when, strangely enough, he was the one getting Brad's attention.

Brad couldn't help but take a quick look at Adam's body. Even though he was a carefree idiot, he did have a well-trained body. Not one bit of fat, it was in excellent shape. Sometimes the match would get pretty heated and Adam's long dark brown hair would become messy. Strings of hair would stick against his sweaty skin, which for some reason would color Brad's cheek slightly red. For one moment, he was staring at him a little bit too long, and Adam noticed him. Unintentionally, Brad's eyes made contact with those of the party animal. He was standing just a meter or two away from him, so Brad could see the color of his eyes. Those were the warmest green eyes he had ever seen... but then Brad quickly snapped out of it and walked away.

And that's when those awful dreams started.

Brad let out another sigh and closed his eyes. This whole thing... it reminded him something. Something that had been bothering him a lot a couple of years ago... When he was starting to hit puberty, Brad started to develop a strange feeling for men. Some of his friends would often sneak in Playboys when they were coming over to Brad's place when he was home alone. They would read them in his bedroom and snigger like idiots when they looked at the photos of the women with fake tits. Brad would play along, but inside his head, there were more important things going on. If he was indeed gay... would the wrestling world accept him? Becoming a wrestler was Brad's biggest dream, he had dreamed of it ever since he was a little boy. Later on in his puberty, he started to think that his 'attraction' to men was just a phase and he shrugged it off. He moved on and a couple of years later, his dream came true; WWE signed him. But however, later on it turned out that his dream became half true. He only wrestled before he was sent to the main roster and after that, he became a referee and barely had any matches. And in all those matches, he lost. Then suddenly, he was promoted as the General Manager of Raw, he guessed that made it up for a lot of stuff.

And now those dreams made him question his sexuality once more.

For many years, he tried to forget about the phase, which he had considered silly by now. Come on, it happens to every kid who hit puberty, right? He had read about it in a book once. It was perfectly normal, most of them would grow over it. And he was convinced he did. But now... A while ago, a wrestler on the main roster, Darren Young, came out of the closet. He was the first wrestler who announced he was gay while still contracted by WWE. Nobody saw it coming, but the surprise was largely positively received. Brad was happy for Darren, but when he thought about it now, it only raised more questions for himself.

He had a couple of girlfriends during his life, but none of the relationships would last long. Either the girl would be annoying, bitchy or it just wouldn't work out. Because of these things, Brad left a long trail of break-ups in his wake.

The General Manager of Raw just didn't want to think anymore. All he wanted now was to get to sleep.

Before falling asleep, one more important question still haunted his mind; did he have a crush on Adam Rose?

'No.' Brad thought to himself. 'That's ridiculous.'

With that answer, he fell asleep. After all, he really needed his sleep; tomorrow he had to appear once more on a Raw show.


	2. The Invitation

**Chapter 2**

**The Invitation**

Letting out a soft sigh, Brad stared at his drink he just got from the girl from the catering.

The show was nearly heading to its end, but for him, everything had come to an end. Tonight was the last time he would appear on live TV; according to the story line he was in, he was fired by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, thus writing him out of the story line. So that meant he was automatically stripped from his title of General Manager.

Letting out a soft groan, Brad touched his painful throat. Oh man, he got fired in possibly the harshest way ever; getting chokeslammed by Kane.

Brad knew this was going to happen, he was told all about it by Vince. And yet he felt like total crap. He knew why. For his entire life, his only dream was to join the WWE and become the next big thing. He wanted to be WWE Champion, Intercontinental Champion, heck, maybe even Tag Team Champion if it had to be like that. Before he was sent to the main roster to become a referee, he had won a couple of titles in the developmental territory. Back then, he felt like he was going to be the next big thing, a Hall of Famer maybe!

But from the moment they turned him into a referee, his dreams were put to the test. And as time went on, he could give up on his dreams of ever becoming a big hit. And now those chances were completely wasted.

Immediately after the firing, Brad went to the backstage cafeteria. He felt like shit, he needed a drink. But unfortunately, WWE didn't allow the catering to give the wrestlers beer during the show. They could only drink alcoholic drinks after the show, at the hotel. Brad decided to only drink beer when he was at the hotel. For now, he would only have a cola. He was all alone in the cafeteria; apparently the other wrestlers had something better to do than drinking their misery away. No, some of them were having great matches, John Cena and Rob van Dam were probably on their way to their future spot in the Hall of Fame, for fuck's sake! Brad envied those men.

Brad took another sip of his cola. So this was it, then. This was his career in the WWE. Becoming a referee, enter a short story line, have shitty matches, become General Manager, enter another story line, than become fired. Here you have it, ladies and gentlemen; the WWE career of Brad Maddox. Now Brad was wondering how long it would last until they would fire him for real. If they had nothing left for him anymore, than he could kiss his career goodbye. Maybe he would have more success in the indies... Brad let out another soft sigh and stared at ceiling, unsure of how his future was going to look like now.

* * *

Suddenly, he heard a crowd cheering in the distance. But it wasn't the audience attending the show... Brad groaned in annoyance. 'Are you kidding me...?' Just when things couldn't get any worse.

The cheering got louder and louder and just like Brad was afraid of, Adam Rose's rosebuds walked into the cafeteria, chanting Adam's tune from his theme song. And to make matters only worse, the ringleader himself was there too. He was wearing a dark red top hat and a pair of white goggles with red lenses, resembling Willy Wonka from 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'. And of course, he had his trademark lollipop in his mouth. Brad shook his head in disbelief and looked away.

This morning, during breakfast, Brad thought he had finally found the answer to all his questions that had been bothering him. That answer would solve everything. He was straight, for a hundred percent. This was like just the phase in his puberty, it would all go away with time. He had absolutely no crush on Adam Rose, those dreams he had lately meant nothing. It was all just another phase! There was nothing going on, he was straight like a damn stick, case closed.

'Hey, Kathy!' Adam said to the catering girl while taking his goggles off. 'Can you give all of us some soda? They're all thirsty of partying!'

'S-sure...' the catering girl bit her lower lip when she checked out the group. There were fifteen of them... oh boy, she wondered if she had enough soda for everyone. Despite everything, Brad sniggered at the sight. She was slightly panicked, she had a lot to serve. Giving all them a drink would be quite a handful.

When the catering girl was finally done giving all the drinks (luckily she had enough soda), the group of rosebuds settled down at one of the tables in the cafeteria. They talked loudly, even Brad couldn't make up what they were talking about, it was just a whole lot of conversations with a different subject. It looked like they were cracking jokes too, they often burst into laughter. So far they hadn't noticed Brad, he was quite pleased with that. Even if he felt like crap, he had no intention to talk to them. Brad hoped he would remain invisible for them for the rest of the night.

'Hey, isn't that Brad Maddox?' one of the rosebuds suddenly asked.

Brad was taking another sip of his cola when he heard that question. He could feel his blood rushing to his head and nearly choked on his drink. 'Damn... this can't be happening...' he thought, hoping nobody would respond to that question and continue with whatever they were talking about. But no, they didn't ignore that question. Brad could feel their eyes turn to him, he just wanted to disappear in thin air.

'Yup, that's him.'

'Have you seen it tonight? Kane chokeslammed the crap out of him!'

'Yeah, I have seen it. I'd hate to be that guy...'

'I guess that's what you get for being such a lemon.'

'That was a little bit uncalled for, you know...'

'He looks so sad...'

'Let's see if I can cheer him up.' a familiar voice suddenly said. Brad recognized that voice from earlier... that was Adam's voice. He could hear him getting up from his chair and walking towards him; he could feel his heartbeat raising. Damn it, why now? Why, at this moment? Now he started to feel more miserable than he did before. Adam sat down next to him, but Brad forced himself not to look at him. Instead, he focused his sight on his drink. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

'You alright there, Braddy?' the party animal asked.

Braddy. He had also called him like that during that little incident a while back. Ugh, it sounded degrading... Brad didn't like it one bit. He also called him like that during the last dream he had... it send a shiver down his spine.

'Yeah, I'm fine.' he mumbled, moving away from Adam's hand. 'Now please leave.'

Adam chuckled. 'That doesn't really sound like somebody who is alright, you know.' he said. 'Now tell me Braddy, what's really wrong with you?'

'Don't call me 'Braddy!'' Brad suddenly snarled. He was already getting sick of it, he hated to be called like that. Because of this, he broke his focus on his drinks and was now glaring at Adam. The party animal seemed unfazed by the angry outburst. He gave Brad a gentle smile. Brad wondered why he was smiling; was he mocking him?

'A little cranky, aren't we?' Adam asked. 'Come on now, don't be such a lemon...'

'Leave me alone...' Brad groaned, rubbing his temples. He could feel a headache coming up.

'We need to get the lemon out of you, buddy. And I just know how.'

'I don't need your help, alright? I'm fine, I'm completely fine!' Brad just wanted to be alone now, he didn't want Adam to cheer him up. He would sort this out by himself, not some careless idiot who reeked of strawberries and alcohol.

But Adam was completely oblivious by all of this. Instead, he put his hand in the pocket of his vest, as if he was searching for something, which he did. He pulled something out his pocket and laid it down on the table, right in front of Brad. The former General Manager frowned and picked it up. It was a small blue-greenish business card with Adam's logo on it.

'What's this for?' he asked, raising an eyebrow.

'If you ever want to go to a party of epic proportions...' Adam pointed at the business card. 'You know where to find me. 'The Exotic Express' will be on the parking lot of the hotel on... well, every day. Because every day is perfect for a party!' Upon hearing that, the rosebuds burst into a loud cheering fit, raising their drinks in the air.

Adam stood up from his seat. 'You think about it, Braddy. You're always welcome. But remember, don't be a lemon...' 'Be a rosebud!' the rosebuds cheered. Suddenly, Adam patted Brad on the shoulder. For a moment, he opened his mouth to shout at him not to do that, but he quickly shut it. The party animal was still smiling at him, it had something that caught his attention... This smile was sincere, it was... friendly. A little bit too friendly if you asked Brad. But now his eyes were catching his attention as well. They had a lovely shade of green, a warm shade. Brad had never seen such eyes before...

'Gotta go now, Braddy. See you around!' Adam turned around and walked back to his friends. 'Let's go, my lovely rosebuds!' Immediately, the rosebuds cheered once more. Following Adam, they left the cafeteria while chanting the tune of his theme song.

Brad was left all alone, with the business card and a slight red blush on his cheeks.


	3. Don't Be A Lemon

**Chapter 3**

**Don't Be A Lemon**

It was just one of those nights where there was absolutely nothing good on TV. With a bored look on his face, Brad was lying down on his hotel bed, zapping from channel to channel. Lousy soap series, obnoxious talk shows, lazy commercials, all of that worthless shit.

Shaking his head and sighing in disappointment, Brad decided he had enough. Pressing the red button on the remote control, he shut the TV off. He had no dreams of Adam last night, thank God. So maybe he was right after all; just another passing phase, like that one in his puberty.

But why didn't Adam's eyes let him go?

Brad had dated many girls before, sure, some of them had really pretty eyes... but pretty eyes or not, all the relationships he had with those girls were all short-lived. But Adam's eyes had something... special. He had never seen eyes with that shade of green, a bright yet warm color. Those eyes looked like they were hypnotizing him yesterday, as if he tried to hypnotize him to visit one of his parties. Brad couldn't say that he failed; those green eyes were now stuck in his mind for a whole freaking day. Even when he went to bed last night, it felt like Adam was still looking at him, with that friendly smile on his face...

Snap out of it!

Brad slapped himself on the forehead. Damn it! Why was he still thinking about him anyway?! He had the answer, he was straight! He had no feelings for nor Adam, nor any other men. The case was closed, he was straight, not gay. Adam Rose was despicable, why should he ever have feelings for him? He would never attend a party of him, not even in a hundred years. He had better things to do than going to parties... but what did he have to do now?

Brad was pretty sure most of his pals were out in town, probably visiting bars or doing something else. Today he had a free day, something a wrestler in WWE rarely has. And so far, he had been wasting it away by staying in his hotel room all day long. And for what? Because he was feeling like shit. His dreams were shattered, the only thing he would ever do right now is attending backstage. Brad rubbed his temples and reached for his cell phone on the nightstand next to his bed. Maybe he could text his friends to ask how they were doing. But then his fingertips touched something else than his cell phone; it was Adam's business card. He grabbed it and stared at it, lost in his thoughts. Damn it, he was trapped between two sides; or he would go to Adam's party or he would stay here in his hotel room for the rest of the evening and waste his free day only more.

After a long time of thinking, Brad finally let out a sigh.

Fine.

He would go to Adam's party, but not for him. He would go for himself, so that he would at least have a little bit of entertainment for the day. Going to a party of Adam Rose was even less torturous than staying in a hotel room for the whole evening.

* * *

With every step, Brad's doubt grew and grew.

It already started when he was looking for some fitting clothes to attend the party; he refused to wear any kind of silly clothing, he wasn't like that. He wouldn't lower himself to the same level as the rosebuds, he still had some pride, you know. After looking in his wardrobe for a while, he decided to put on his classic purple shirt, dark blue tie, black waistcoat, black trousers and a pair of black shoes. That would be classy enough to wear at the party. Leaving the hotel and walking towards the parking lot, Brad wondered if he was doing the right thing. Maybe he should've gone to the city instead, but the former General Manager forced himself to keep going.

And just like he expected, he heard loud rock music in the distance. 'The Exotic Express' couldn't be far away anymore. When Brad finally arrived at the parking lot, he could already see it. 'The Exotic Express' was a long black bus, Adam's logo was spray painted on the sides. Bright colorful flashes were flashing inside the bus, as if someone tried to give everyone inside an epileptic seizure. The door was wide open; smoke could be seen drifting out of the bus, into the air. Were they smoking inside? The bus was shaking, as if everybody inside were jumping up and down.

'Oh man... what did I get myself into...?' Brad mumbled. If they would expect from him to drink, smoke or act like a total idiot, well, good luck for them. He was still going to be himself. Yes, he would attend the party, but that wouldn't mean he would become a rosebud. He would be himself, he would be Brad Maddox. Taking a deep breath, he walked towards 'The Exotic Express'. While entering it, he had quite a fitting thought: 'Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.'

It was chaos.

Pure chaos.

Everyone was dancing like crazy, the loud rock music nearly deafened Brad. The smoke was thin, not thick enough to suffocate everybody in the bus. Did he smell marijuana? Every rosebud was dressed more colorful and crazy than the other; hell, there was even a full-grown man dressed in a bunny suit! It was like when Alice fell down the rabbit hole into a whole different world... Brad was Alice, 'The Exotic Express' was the rabbit hole. Brad shook his head. This was a bad idea, a really bad idea. But just when Brad wanted to turn around to leave the bus...

'Ah! There you are!'

Adam put his arm around Brad, as if they were friends who had known each other for years. Once more, the former General Manager was forced to meet the party animal's green eyes one more time... 'I was already getting worried you wouldn't come!' Adam said happily. 'Everybody! Can I have your attention, please?' It looked like one of the rosebuds, a guy wearing a poncho with a cheeseburger print on it, heard him despite the loud music. He reached for the volume button of the stereo player that was in the luggage rack. Immediately when he twisted that button, the music's volume went down for a bit. The rosebuds stopped dancing and looked at Adam. The party animal pointed at Brad, who then realized that the announcement was about him. When he was inside the ring, he was also the center of attention; but right now, he felt kind of nervous. What was Adam going to say?

'This guy right here is Braddy Maddox!' Adam exclaimed loudly. 'This is his first time on 'The Exotic Express', so be nice towards him, alright? Let's give him the party of a life time!' The rosebuds burst into a loud cheering fit and started chanting Brad's new nickname. 'Braddy! Braddy! Braddy!' The former General Manager slightly cringed inside. Looks like he was stuck with this nickname forever now... oh God, what did he get himself into?

The volume of the music was increased again, it nearly hurt Brad's ears. Suddenly, the entire bus unexpectedly moved forward with a harsh jerk. Brad couldn't find anything to grab onto in time and fell forward. He expected to hit the floor with a painful thud and mentally prepared himself for the impact... but it didn't happen. Adam had grabbed him just in time before his nose could even touch the ground. He pulled Brad back up to his feet. 'Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you!' Adam laughed. 'The bus rides around town when the party starts. Glad I caught you just in time, though!'

Brad slightly nodded. 'R-right. Thanks.'

* * *

A little bit clueless, Brad looked around him.

He had been in 'The Exotic Express' for thirty minutes now, maybe longer. He had gotten used to the volume of the music now, but he was pretty sure there would be a loud ringing noise in his ears after the party. Adam had offered him a can of beer, he had opened it and took little sips of it now and then. Yesterday he really needed a drink, he was glad he was free to have beer now that he was free from his duties.

There must have been around thirty rosebuds in this bus (Adam excluded), but yet not one of them was paying attention to him. No, they were too busy with dancing and drinking. They were having a good time, but it looked like Brad was invisible to them. Was it because he was new here? Maybe it was that... When Brad had just arrived at developmental territory of WWE, his fellow wrestlers also didn't even bother to speak with him, just because he was new. But as time went on, they started so speak with him and Brad actually became friends with some of them. He was accepted, but he had one new experience; feeling ignored really sucked.

And now it looked like it was all coming back.

What was he doing here anyway? What was the point of going to a party if nobody was going to talk to him? Brad felt lonely all of the sudden. Because of his role in the story line, he didn't have a lot of fans. He didn't mind it back then, but now he did. He felt like... he was nothing.

But suddenly, Brad felt someone pulling his arm. Turning around, he saw who it was; it was a girl with red hair tied in two pigtails and wearing a blue tutu.

'Braddy!' she shouted with a smile on her face, making sure he would hear her over the loud music. 'Adam is waiting for you! We're gonna play a game!'

'A what?'

'A game! 'Hungry Hungry Hippos'!'

Brad rolled with his eyes; he had heard of that game before. 'Hungry Hungry Hippos' was the textbook definition of a stupid kids game. But hell, if it was the only thing to entertain himself and get himself some contact, then he would do it.

'Uhm... sure.'

'Great!'

Tutu Girl grabbed his arm and pulled him through the crowd of rosebuds. Brad smelled the alcohol from their breaths as Tutu Girl made way for them. He had gotten used to that smell as well, since he consumed some alcohol himself. Some of the rosebuds had gathered around a small table with four seats. The table was just big enough for the game board to be put on. Adam and the man in the bunny outfit were occupying two seats. 'Adam, he's here!' Tutu Girl said once she reached him. The party animal smiled from ear to ear when he saw his guest.

'Ah, Braddy, finally!' he exclaimed. 'Sit down, Bunny and I have been waiting for you!'

Brad took a big sip of his beer. Yup, he was going to need some alcohol for this game. He sat down on his seat, Tutu Girl joined him. So it was just four players; Adam, Bunny, Tutu Girl and himself. 'So... what were the rules of the game again?' Brad asked, vaguely remembering the rules. 'You need to collect as many marbles you can get.' Tutu Girl explained. 'If you have the most marbles, you win.' 'Ah.' Simple enough. 'Alright! Ready... set... go!' Adam poured the white marbles over the board and immediately, he, Bunny and Tutu Girl started smacking the backs of their plastic hippos repeatedly. The necks of the plastic hippos lengthened and snatched the marbles. Realizing the game had started, Brad also started to smack the back of his hippo.

Oh man, this was so silly, but also so much fun in a weird way! Brad wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or the overall silliness of the game. The four of them smacked their hippos like crazy, their hands were sore but they didn't care. It was fun, that was all that mattered. And much to Brad's surprise, it looked like he was in lead! Now it all came down to the last marble; the rosebuds around them started to cheer louder than before. And just before Brad knew it, his hippo was the one to snatch that marble. The rosebuds went nuts and cheered at the top of their lungs. 'Braddy! Braddy! Braddy! Braddy! Braddy!' they chanted happily. Brad burst into laughter. This was so silly, and yet they were making such a big deal out of this, as if he won the WWE Championship! He actually didn't mind them chanting his new nickname, he thought it was funny. It was really nice to be cheered on for once... Adam leaned over and patted him on the shoulder.

'Nice job, Braddy. You're quite the pro at this!'

Brad chuckled about the compliment. 'Thanks.'

Maybe going to this party wasn't such a bad idea after all...


	4. Be A Rosebud

**Chapter 4**

**Be A Rosebud**

**Warning: this chapter contains male on male sexual content.**

The night went on smoothly and Brad loosened up more and more.

He never thought he would actually get along with the rosebuds. After winning that match, he had fully caught their attention. Most of them had complimented him on his win, as if it was a huge deal to them. It felt good to receive praise for once, even if it was for such a silly thing. Some of them even cracked jokes about Triple H, Stephanie and Kane; when of the rosebuds called Triple H 'Pinocchio' because of his large nose, Brad laughed so hard his stomach was hurting. Right now he was sitting down and had a little chit-chat with Tutu Girl.

Tutu Girl (whose real name was actually 'Heather', but preferred to be called by her nickname) had opened up towards him as well, she started to tell him about herself. Brad found out she was a lot different before she become one of Adam's rosebuds; according to her, she used to stay home at night, thinking she was already happy like that. But later on, she started to doubt that. Only when she visited a party of Adam, she found out what she was really missing. And so she decided to let her inner party animal out and join the rosebuds. She told Brad that she thought it was really good of him to come here. 'Who knows... maybe you will become a rosebud as well!' she playfully joked. Brad chuckled. He was enjoying the party, but he surely wouldn't become a rosebud. No, that would go a little bit too far. He wouldn't go out partying every single day, he couldn't stand that. He would rather be himself.

But as they continued their chat, Adam walked towards Brad and tapped him on the shoulder.

'Braddy... can you come with me for a second?' the party animal asked.

'Sure. What is it?'

'Follow me.'

Brad frowned in curiosity. What's going on? Did he do something wrong? He didn't do anything as far as he remembered, only drinking and chatting with the rosebuds. He stood up from his seat and followed Adam through the crowd of rosebuds, who didn't seem one bit tired even though they had been dancing for one and a half hour straight. You must be a real party animal if you can keep it up like that... Brad followed Adam to the back of the bus. In the back, there was a door. Again, Brad frowned. Where did that door lead to? Adam put his hand in the pocket of his vest and took out a small key. He put it in the lock of the door and twisted it. Why would he keep that door locked? Brad started to wonder if Adam was hiding something from his rosebuds? What could it be? Adam opened the door and made a gesture to the former General Manager to get inside.

'Come inside...' the party animal said, but it didn't really sound that threatening. But then again, Brad didn't trust this; what was behind that damn door? If Adam was planning to do something to him, he would fight back for sure. He had already been chokeslammed by Kane, so he wouldn't take that shit either. Mentally preparing himself, Brad followed Adam into the furthest point back in 'The Exotic Express'...

* * *

Brad had never expected to see this.

Apparently the bus was large enough to build an entire damn bedroom in the back. The bedroom itself wasn't really that big, there was place for a large round-shaped bed, a nightstand, a stereo and a wardrobe. Pieces of clothing were strewn everywhere on the floor, they were possibly Adam's since they were clothing for men. Every piece of furniture in the bedroom had a warm shade of white, not too bright, not too dark. A nice, calming color. Only the walls and carpet were colored beige.

But it only raised Brad's suspicion even more; what was the meaning of this? He perked his eyes when Adam shut the door behind him.

'There we go,' the party animal mumbled. 'Like this, we can talk more privately.'

'Why do you have that door locked?' Brad just had to ask it.

Adam chuckled. 'Because I don't want my rosebuds to make a complete mess of my room.' he answered. 'But seriously now. You can sit down on the bed, if you want of course.'

Still a bit suspicious, it took Brad three steps to walk over to the bed and sat down on the edge. Upon inspecting the bed closer, a shiver traveled up his spine. In his last dream he had of Adam, they were in a bed as well. Could this mean something...? He could feel his heartbeat raising and a rather uncomfortable feeling developing in his stomach... Adam sat down next to him, which made Brad feel even more uncomfortable.

'Are you having a good time here, Braddy?' the party animal gently asked. A little bit too gentle, if you'd ask Brad.

'Yeah, I guess so...'

'Good.' Adam slightly nodded in approval and smiled from ear to ear. Brad frowned; what was he smiling about?

'You know, Braddy...' Adam looked Brad straight in the eyes. Baby blue met emerald green. A soft blush emerged from Brad's cheeks. Once more, he saw those eyes that were stuck in his mind for a whole day. The look in Adam's green eyes was so... warm. Nearly loving, even... Brad softly gulped in discomfort. He wanted to look away, but he couldn't. Adam's green eyes had hypnotized him once more. 'Yesterday when I saw you in the cafeteria, all alone and miserable... it made me sad.'

'W-what? Why?'

'Because...' Adam let out a soft sigh and chuckled. 'I think you're really cute, Braddy.'

There was complete silence in the bedroom, aside from the noise outside. Brad's heartbeat had reached its peak, for a moment he was afraid he would get a heart attack. He sat there, on the edge of the bed, completely frozen. He had no idea what to say, it was like there was sand stuck in his throat. He wanted to get up and run away, get away from Adam. But he couldn't, it was like he was paralyzed. All he could do was just sit there, with his eyes widened and his jaw slightly dropped.

Something touched his hand; Adam had laid his hand on top of Brad's and leaned in a bit closer. 'From the first moment I saw you, I fell for you.' the party animal spoke softly. 'You are the cutest guy I have ever seen, Braddy. Watching you sitting there in the cafeteria broke my heart, really. I wanted to do anything for you to make you happy, to take the lemon out of you.' Adam's lips were just two centimeters away from Brad's now. He knew what was coming, but he still couldn't move.

'I love you, Braddy.'

Adam fully leaned over and pressed his lips on the former Generals Manager's, capturing him in a passionate kiss. Only then, Brad was able to produce a sound; a soft whimper. He was afraid his cheeks would catch fire, they now had become painfully hot. While Adam's hand was still on top of his, the other hand gently touched the back of his head, traveling his fingers through his brown hair and gently pulled him in, deepening the kiss. Adam's eyes were closed as he enjoyed his first kiss with his crush, but at the same time, hundreds of thoughts went through Brad's head. He wanted to push him off, but he couldn't. In the dreams he had of him, he was kissed by him as well; he didn't have a single problem with it in those dreams. But he shouldn't be enjoying this, he was straight, not gay! This was wrong, so wrong in so many fucking ways! But then again... he had never been kissed like this before. Yes, he had been kissed before in a relationship, but the way Adam kissed him... it was something new. It was gentle, yet so passionate. Brad could taste a mix of strawberries and alcohol on Adam's lips. It was an unique taste, you could only taste it when you were kissing Adam Rose. It relaxed him, somehow. He started to give into the kiss, those lips had something special, they were nearly addicting. Brad had already started to close his eyes.

But just then, Adam needed air and broke the kiss, sending Brad back to Earth.

'Wait a minute... Adam...' Brad whispered with a hoarse voice. 'Are... are you... gay?!'

Adam chuckled once more, a blush had spread on his cheeks. 'Well... let's say that I'm attracted to men and women alike. I don't care if my crush is a guy or girl, I prefer them both. But right now...' He leaned forward to Brad's ear. 'You're the one who has caught my attention.' he whispered seductively.

Adam gently pushed Brad over, his back was now touching the sheets. The former General Manager gulped nervously when Adam crawled over him. 'H-hold on! Adam, stop it! I'm not gay!' he stammered, fearing for what was going to happen. Did he want to go a step further than just a kiss? He feared for the worst. A trickle of sweat ran down his face, his cheeks had become that warm. 'I guess there's still a bit of lemon in there...' Adam whispered in Brad's ear, his voice raw with passion. 'Allow me to get it out for you, Braddy.' The tip of his tongue ran up his earlobe, giving Brad goose bumps on every part of his body. Adam caught Brad's lips in a kiss again, but only this time, he trailed his tongue over his lower lip. Brad slightly opened his mouth to let out a whimper, Adam took that as an invitation to go a little step further. He entered his mouth with his tongue, brushing against Brad's tongue and catching it in a passionate dance. Brad's eyes widened at this and let out a muffled moan. The taste of strawberries mixed with alcohol got way stronger. The former General Manager's hands started to tremble and grasped at Adam's vest, wanting to push him of. His fists clenched the leathery material, but he just didn't have the power to shove him off. The French kiss had a hypnotic effect over him. It felt strange... it felt good. Before Brad knew it, his tongue started to give in and danced along with Adam's. Just then, the party animal's hand traveled down and cupped his crotch. Brad let out a loud moan and arched his back. While Adam gently squeezed through the material of his pants, he continued to clash his tongue with Brad's. Brad's head felt like spinning, this was too much, this was so wrong... It was like one of his dreams, but this time it was for real. He didn't want to enjoy this, but he couldn't help it...

All of a sudden, Adam pulled his tongue out of his mouth and smiled. 'You're already getting hard, Braddy.' he purred. 'Now I'm gonna make you feel real good...' Adam started to slowly unbutton Brad's waistcoat, taking his time. 'Wait... what are you doing?' the former General Manager asked, his voice slightly shaking. 'I just told you, sillybeans...' Adam replied. He had finished unbuttoning the waistcoat and simply tossed it aside the bed. Brad's tie and shirt got the same treatment. Brad was now lying on the bed with his chest completely exposed and his cheeks bright red. 'Aw, look at these cute little things here...' Adam chuckled, pointing at Brad's nipples. 'Mind if I take a look at them?' But before Brad could even protest, Adam had already leaned in and took his right nipple in his mouth, sucking, flicking his tongue and softly biting it. The other nipple was being gently pinched and slightly twisted by his thumb and index finger. Brad let out a loud gasp, followed by a moan. His nipples had always been the most sensitive parts of his body, touching them would turn him on almost immediately. Heavy sparks of pleasure traveled towards his loin, hardening his manhood only more and more. The way he gently massaged the left one and feeling his warm lips on the right one... it nearly turned him insane.

'Found your sweet spot, didn't I?' Adam asked, looking up and grinning at him. 'But don't worry my sweet little Braddy, there is more to come.' The party animal unbuttoned Brad's trousers and pulled them down with a swift pull, taking his underwear and shoes along with it. Brad gasped in embarrassment; he was now fully naked for Adam to see. He bit his lower lip and covered his manhood with his hands. Looking away, he wished to disappear into thin air. 'Now now, why are you so embarrassed?' Adam asked. 'It's... it's because this is wrong...' Brad mumbled shyly. Adam chuckled. 'There is nothing wrong, Braddy. There is nothing to be embarrassed about either, you have a beautiful body.' He leaned back in and planted a soft kiss on Brad's lips. He used his hands to move Brad's hands away from his crotch. Immediately he traveled down, leaving a trail of soft kisses as he did so.

'Adam... what are you doing...?' Suddenly, Brad's body turned to goo when something hot and wet enveloped his manhood.

Adam had taken Brad's manhood in his mouth as much as he could, bobbing his head up and down and swirling his tongue around the shaft. Brad cried out in pleasure, but then quickly shut his mouth. He was afraid one of the rosebuds would hear him and enter the bedroom to see what was going on, but nothing happened. Brad was practically squirming now, his legs jerking when Adam ran his tongue of the head and clenching his fists in the sheets. Adam quickly looked up while he was still doing his magic; the sight was wonderful. Brad had his eyes closed, sweat was running down his face and his chest was heavily heaving. He did this to him, he gave him so much pleasure. Giving Braddy pleasure was the biggest accomplishment he could make this night. He then shut his eyes and concentrated on his work again. It took five more sucks before Brad ran his fingers through Adam's long hair, gently pulling it and entangling it in his fingers. It was the hair he had touched in his dreams, and now it was for real. After a little while, Brad could feel himself getting close. The suction was just perfect, the pace was great, it all became too much. A bit more, just a little bit more... but then it all fell away when Adam let go with a loud pop.

Brad quickly sat up. 'Why did you stop? Is this some joke?!' he asked angrily. Adam shook his head and wiped the corner of his mouth. 'I don't want you to come just yet, Braddy. Not until the big finale.' Big finale? What the hell was he talking about?

'Now, let's see... where did I leave it?' Adam got up from the bed and looked around. Taking a quick look at him, Brad could see a large bulge in his pants. The party animal walked over to his nightstand and opened the drawer. The former General Manager could hear him moving some things inside the drawer aside as he was searching for something. 'Aha! There it is!' the party animal exclaimed after a little while. He grabbed a little blue package from his drawer and closed it afterwards. Brad slightly frowned in curiosity; what was that package for? Just then, he noticed Adam was still wearing all of his clothing. But the party animal was about to change all of that; he took off his vest, kicked off his boots and stripped himself of his pants along with his underwear. Brad gulped when he noticed his size.

'D-damn...'

Adam softly chuckled. 'I've heard that before.' he replied. He twisted the cap off the package and got back to the bed. He grabbed Brad's knees and spread his legs, making the former General Manager blink in surprise. 'Hold still now, this is gonna be a little bit cold.' He squeezed in the package and a transparent thick liquid covered his two fingers.

'Uhm, Adam... what is that li-?' Brad asked nervously, but was cut off when he suddenly felt something cold and wet against his entrance, followed by a burning pain. Adam had forced the lubricated fingers inside him and started them thrusting in and out, causing Brad to scream out in pain. 'Argh! Adam, you fucking idiot! Stop it!' he yelled at the top his lungs. 'Just as I thought...' Adam purred. 'You're still a virgin. Glad that I'll be your first one...' 'First one? What the fuck are you tal-' Right on that moment, Adam had buried his fingers in knuckle-deep, the tips pressing against a small bundle of nerves. This caused Brad's breath to be taken away, arching his back and emitting a high-pitched cry of pleasure. The party animal pressed the bundle over and over again, until Brad's mind went completely numb.

'Yup, I think you're ready, Braddy.' Adam said as he pulled the fingers out. Brad couldn't even respond, he was too dazed from this treatment. A trail of saliva had drizzled out of the corner of his mouth and ran down his jaw line, he panted rapidly, his limbs were numb and tears had formed in the corners of his eyes. The party animal lifted his legs, bent them and laid the calves on top his shoulders so his now-prepared hole became visible. Letting out a soft hiss of anticipation, Adam lined his manhood against it, the tip was already leaking. He had waited for this moment for so long, he wanted to do this to Brad since the moment he met him. And now the moment was finally here... he couldn't control himself any longer.

With one swift motion he plunged himself in, burying himself to the hilt.

The burning pain made Brad break out of his daze. He widened his eyes and let out a strangled scream. The pain was less worse than before, but still, it was pretty fucking painful. He clenched his fists in the sheets until his knuckles were white. Adam didn't move, he wanted his partner to get used to the feeling of being filled. The party animal himself softly groaned with pleasure; he was so deliciously tight, but he didn't want to hurt him. 'It hurts... please... take it out...' Brad whimpered in pain. 'Ssssh... I'll make you feel good, I promise.' Adam slowly started to move his hips, thrusting in and out. With each thrust, Brad let out a soft whimper. This hurt so damn much... 'Try to relax, Braddy.' Adam groaned, restraining himself from moving faster. Brad closed his eyes and concentrated as much as he could; much to his surprise, it worked. In fact, all of this started to feel good, in a strange way. This was so wrong... he shouldn't give in, this wasn't right... 'Stop it, you idiot!' a voice yelled in his head. 'Give in, just for this one time, this feels so good...' Brad slightly opened his eyes. The sight set his heart on fire. Adam's muscled body was covered in a thin sheet of sweat, some locks of hair were sticking against his skin and his face expressed pure delight. Seeing him like this made something well up in Brad's chest. It was a feeling he never thought he would ever feel for a man. Love. 'Give in...' the voice whispered once more.

And that's what Brad did. The love made him fully give in.

'More...' he whispered. 'Please... more...'

Adam blinked in surprise. Did he just hear that? Braddy was starting to feel good? A grin spread across his face; this made him so happy. He moved his hips faster and faster, making Brad emit more cries of pleasure. He didn't give a single damn if everyone on 'The Exotic Express' heard him, the passion had fully taken him over.

'Oh God... yes... please... give me more, Adam! Please, fuck me harder!' he cried.

'As you wish, Braddy!' Adam roared. He moved his hips as fast as he could, practically ramming himself in and out of Brad. The passion was sent to the max, Brad cried in pleasure at the top his lungs. With every pound to the bundle of nerves, he could feel himself getting closer and closer. He wanted to come, right here, right now. He reached out for his painfully hard manhood; it took three quick strokes for him to fall over the edge, staining himself on his belly while letting out a nearly inaudible cry. The sight of his partner climaxing drove Adam over the edge as well, with a loud shaky groan he released himself deep inside him.

Both men didn't move for one bit for the next moment. Adam pulled himself out, causing Brad to let out a soft gasp. The party animal looked at his partner with a smile on his face, he looked so adorable right now. His eyes were closed, sweat was running down his skin, his cheeks were bright red and his chest was heaving up and down. Braddy was so damn cute... Adam lied down next to him and pulled him in for a hug, running his fingers through his messy hair. 'That was a love-making session of epic proportions, Braddy...' the party animal sighed, nuzzling his cheek against his hair.

'Adam...'

Brad looked up and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. The smile on his face made Adam's heart nearly explode; he had curled the corners of his mouth into the most satisfied smile a human being could ever make. 'I was wrong about you...' Brad whispered. 'I was wrong all along... you are fucking amazing.' He then nuzzled his face against his chest, let out a soft sigh and closed his eyes. Smiling from ear to ear, Adam gently stroked his lover's hair over and over again.

'You are so damn adorable, Braddy...' Adam thought to himself. 'You made me feel like I never felt before for any man or woman... I wanted you since the first moment I saw you. I want to give you something that you hadn't had in a while. Love. Because you deserve it, Braddy. I love you more than anything else.'


	5. Just Let It All Go

**Chapter 5**

**Just Let It All Go**

Most of the people would get up around this time in the morning, but the rosebuds had absolutely no intentions of getting up.

The driver of 'The Exotic Express' had drove around three different cities that night (luckily he didn't cause any accidents) and they only returned to the parking lot when the sun was about to rise. But around that time, most of the rosebuds had fallen asleep already. Even the driver didn't even bother to get off from the driver's seat to look for a comfortable place to sleep, no, he fell asleep right there. Thank God he wasn't using the klaxon as a pillow. Beer was spilled everywhere, but some of the rosebuds didn't mind sleeping in it. Some of them were sleeping on the couches, others were sleeping on the floor. They would all wake up with a big hangover, but of course that wouldn't stop them going out for another party that same day. Because rosebuds would always be rosebuds.

They had the night of their lives, but luckily not one of them knew what was happening in the back of the bus last night.

Back inside the bedroom, Adam was the first one to wake up. Like the rosebuds, he would wake up with a hangover sometimes, but it didn't happen this time. He barely drank anything last night, but there was something that made him drunk; the love he had for Braddy. Rubbing his eyelids, he let out a soft groan. He opened his eyes and looked next to him. The sight made his last bit of sleepiness fade away. Brad was lying next to him, facing the party animal. He was still asleep, but had the same satisfied smile he had last night on his face. Careful as possible, Adam sat up, not wanting to wake his lover up. No, he wanted him to be asleep, even if it was just for a little while. With a dreamy look on his face, Adam stared at the young man next to him. Well damn, who knew... he was even cuter when he was asleep. His brown hair was slightly messy and he still had a soft blush on his cheeks. He looked so cute, so peaceful... Adam couldn't stop staring at him. This is exactly why Adam fell in love with him; he was just so damn adorable. Even if he was acting like a lemon, it wouldn't take away Adam's feelings for him. In fact, the first plan he had in mind for him was to get the lemon out of him, to make him happier. He wanted Brad to be happy... he wanted him to be his. Watching him being so unhappy broke his heart. He would do anything to make him happy, as long as he wouldn't be a lemon anymore. And he was pretty sure he had accomplished his mission last night... oh man, last night was amazing. Adam looked away from Brad and stared at the ceiling. He recalled every moment, even the smallest details. Making love to Braddy was a dream coming true, it felt so good. He was happy to be his first one, it gave him the feeling he had claimed him for his own. He even looked adorable when he was being pleasured; bright red cheeks, his baby blue eyes half-lidded and his mouth slightly open. That's when his adorableness hit epic proportions. Adam let out a soft sigh. God, he loved Brad so much.

'Ugh...'

Adam perked his ears. It looked like Braddy was waking up. Adam stopped staring at the ceiling and looked back at him. He wanted to see him wake up, he bet that would look adorable as well.

'Oh man... my head... ugh, what the fuck happened last night?'

Immediately Brad was greeted with a big headache. His head felt like pounding and his mouth was dry like a damn desert. He scratched his head and opened his eyes, which he quickly shut for a moment. For a moment he was about to fall asleep again, but he forced himself the wake up once more. He blinked a couple of times; that's when he saw Adam's bare chest. His eyes widened at the sight and the sleepiness went away. He looked up and saw the party animal staring at him with a big smile on his face.

'Argh! What the hell?!' the former General Manager yelled. He quickly sat up and scooted away from Adam as far as possible. The party animal softly chuckled. 'Good morning to you too, Braddy.'

'What is this? What happened?!' Just then, Brad noticed he wasn't wearing one single piece of clothing. When he woke up, he didn't remember anything of what happened... but now it was all coming back. For a moment it was completely quiet in the bedroom...

The realization of what happened struck Brad like a punch from a boxer.

'Oh my fucking God!' he yelled in disgust. He remembered everything now. Recalling the things Adam did to him that night made his stomach clench. For a moment Brad was afraid he was going to throw up, but that didn't happen. Instead, the horror turned into anger. 'You bastard! You fucking bastard!' he yelled at Adam.

'Why are you so angry?' Adam asked, raising his eyebrow. Why was he so angry now all the sudden? Last night he was having the time of his life and now he was cursing at him. Adam didn't understand...

'Why I'm angry? Because you... you raped me! You sick son of a bitch! You put something in my drink, didn't you?!'

Adam loudly chuckled and shook his head. 'Braddy, Braddy, Braddy... you are being such a sillybean now. I didn't rape you, I would never do that to you. And I didn't put anything in your drink either. You wanted it as well, remember?'

'Shut up, please shut up!' Brad could feel himself getting sicker. Everything that Adam said was true... He only had one drink last night, it was beer from a can. When Adam gave it to him it was already closed, so it was impossible that he spiked it. And when it came to the 'rape'... Brad shuddered, but Adam was also right on that as well. He wanted it, the passion had completely taken him over. He had allowed Adam to be inside him, to kiss him, to make love to him. He had allowed him everything and he enjoyed it all. And on one point, he even fell in love with him... This was so wrong. Brad had convinced himself that he was straight, that he would never have a crush on Adam or any other men. But now, just like in his puberty, his sexuality was questioned once more. He couldn't believe it... he couldn't believe he actually had sex with Adam Rose, the man he had despised so much. A man...

Fuck, he was going to throw up.

'I'm out of here.' he whispered with a hoarse voice and got out of the bed. He gathered all his clothes and put them on as fast as he could, cursing under his breath, wanting to leave as quickly as possible. But just when he wanted to walk away, he suddenly felt a painful jolt traveling through his behind, a result from the special attention he had that night. Letting out a yelp of pain, Brad tripped over his own feet and fell down with a loud thud.

'Braddy! Are you okay?' Adam got out of the bed, quickly put on the pair of boxers he had abandoned and walked over to his lover. 'Take it easy, alright? I'm gonna get you up, okay?' The party animal lifted Brad up from the ground and carried him back to the bed. 'Get your hands off from me...' Brad moaned miserably, but he didn't do any attempts to get away from Adam. The party animal let him sit down on the edge of the bed and sat next to him with a slightly concerned look on his face. Brad let out a sigh, he let his upper body bow forward and he covered his eyes with his hands, as he was about to burst into tears. But the General Manager didn't feel that miserable enough to cry, but it was enough to feel embarrassed as hell. Adam rubbed him on his back in an attempt to make him feel better, but it didn't help one bit.

'I can't believe it...' Brad whispered. 'This is all wrong.'

'What is wrong, Braddy?'

'This. All of this.'

'You think that it's wrong for a man to make love to another man?'

'Well... uhm... no, but...'

'Then what's wrong?'

'I'm straight... I... I shouldn't be attracted to men.'

'Braddy. Look at me.'

Brad looked up. He never expected Adam to see him like this. He had a serious look on his face, but his green eyes gave him a warm look. The former General Manager had always thought he was careless, never worried about a single thing, he had never seen him like this.

'What are you so afraid of? That you might be attracted to men?'

Bullseye.

Brad never had anything against gays, but the thought of being gay himself scared him. He couldn't imagine himself with a man. He had read many stories on the news and the news papers of gay people getting the living shit beaten out of them just because of their attraction. In his puberty, Brad feared that if he was indeed gay, he would never be accepted by WWE. He was so scared back then, he remembered that so well. He was just so afraid of being attracted to someone of his same sex. He had hidden that fear for so many years, and now it all came back. Last night he fell in love with Adam without him even realizing it. This was wrong, so scary, he was attracted to women, he shouldn't be doing this...

'I was just like you, Braddy.' Adam said before the former General Manager could answer back. 'When I was around fifteen, sixteen years old, I fell in love with a guy around my age. I was scared of those feelings too, but you know what I did? I accepted it. I am attracted to men and women alike, it's a part of me. It's what makes you, Braddy. I never cared about what people said about it, I was being myself and that was all that mattered. They were just being ignorant lemons. I let go of my fears, I was happy with who I was.'

Adam grabbed Brad's hand and gently squeezed it. 'You've got to let your fears go as well, Braddy. Just be yourself. Let it all go.'

Brad gulped. If he would finally accept that he was attracted to Adam, would he be happier? If he would keep denying it, he wouldn't be any happier, that would be for sure. Looking in Adam's eyes, Brad remembered why he fell in love with him. He was such an attractive man, so much more attractive than those girls he had been dating. He was being so sweet to him, nobody had ever treated him like this. He had invited him to his party to cheer him up, he wanted to make him feel good, he wanted him to open his eyes, he wanted him to be happy. He was so much different than those girls. And those warm green eyes... Brad loved them. He didn't see anything despicable about Adam anymore; all that he saw right now was an amazing person. All of this made the love well up again... and Brad wasn't scared of it. No. He felt happy.

He softly nodded. 'Yes.'

'Braddy...' The party animal trailed his thumb over the skin of his hand. 'Will you make me the happiest guy in the entire universe... and be my boyfriend?'

Brad bit his lower lip. Let it all go...

'I... I could give it a shot.'

Adam smiled from ear to ear. He felt so happy right now; his crush had accepted his love from him, it was a feeling that was nearly indescribable. He leaned over and planted his lips on Brad's. Brad closed his eyes and kissed back. Adam was right. He let it go, he felt so much happier right now. He felt something warm in his stomach, it felt good, this was right. Adam Rose was now his boyfriend. He could hardly believe it, but he was so happy. The party animal wrapped his arms around him and broke the kiss. They exchanged a sincere, loving look.

'I love you, Braddy...'

'I love you too, Adam...'

* * *

The former General Manager opened the door and took a peek. He nearly burst into laughter when he saw all those sleeping rosebuds strewn around the bus.

'Ssssh... don't want make them up, would you?' Adam whispered with a grin on his face. He knew what would happen if you would wake up the sleeping rosebuds; they would be a bunch of grouchy lemons for the whole morning.

The fresh couple tiptoed their way through the bus, which was quite hard since there were so many rosebuds sleeping on the floor. At one point, they had to climb over a couch since there were too many rosebuds lying on the floor to step over. They looked like such idiots on that moment, Brad sniggered almost loud enough to wake them up. He was in a much better mood than the days before, mainly because he was now dating Adam. Wow, he still couldn't believe it. He never thought he would ever date a man in his entire life, well, now it was for real. And he couldn't be any happier. Yes, he was proud to say that; he was in love with Adam and he was happy about it.

Finally the two reached the door of the bus. Adam pressed a button on the driver's desk and the door opened with a loud puffing noise. But even despite that, the rosebuds didn't even wake up. Brad and Adam jumped outside. The sun was standing high in the sky, it must have been around eleven o'clock.

'So... what do we do now?' Adam asked.

'I think the breakfast buffet is still open in the hotel.' Brad answered. 'Care for a bite?'

'Sure! I'm getting hungry.'

Brad let out a soft gasp when Adam suddenly grabbed his hand; he still wasn't quite used to this. 'Heh...' he chuckled. 'Guess this will be our first breakfast together, huh?'

'You got that right, Braddy.' Adam gave his new boyfriend a kiss on the cheek. 'Let's go!'

Their fellow wrestlers in the hotel's restaurant all raised an eyebrow in curiosity when they saw them entering the restaurant together. Most of them knew Brad couldn't stand Adam... what was going on here? Were they friends all of the sudden? But Brad and Adam didn't even notice their fellow wrestlers, they were way too busy talking to each other while putting their breakfast on their plates. They settled down at a table together and enjoyed their breakfast while continuing their chat. And much to the wrestlers' surprise, they even shared a laugh now and then.

But little did they know what was really going on between the party animal and the former General Manager...


	6. Caring

**Chapter 6**

**Caring**

'Looks like it's showtime for me, Braddy.'

Staring at the TV screen backstage, the Divas Match had just ended, with Natalya as the winner. That was the cue for Adam to get to the entrance; his match with Jack Swagger was about to get started. In the storyline he had been feuding with him for quite a while, resulting in many repeated matches which weren't really that long. But repeated or not, Jack was a strong opponent; he could easily injure somebody.

Brad knew that. Professional wrestling may look entertaining to the audience, but he was pretty sure most people weren't aware of how dangerous the sport actually was. Back when he still had matches, he would endure a lot of pain, just like his fellow wrestlers. Of course they were all trained for this, but there was always that chance that something would go wrong. Brad had seen it all; torn muscles, broken bones, dislocations, concussions, eye injuries, knocked out teeth, bloody cuts and more of that stuff. It sucked, it was painful, but it was all part of the business. Even the greatest wrestlers out there could get injured easily. Sometimes, those injuries could put an end to an entire career...

Before he was dating Adam, he couldn't care one bit if he would get injured. But right now, he did care about him. It was hard to see his face crunched in pain during the matches, he often had to suppress the urge to run towards the ring to get him out of that mess. But at least he could be a comfort to him when the match was over. In the worst case scenario, the match could go completely wrong, leaving Adam so badly injured he would be sent home a couple of months. If that would happen, it would be very hard for Brad to get some time off to see him. Only if you were injured, WWE would send you home. The former General Manager hoped nothing would happen.

'Be careful, alright?' Brad asked.

Adam nodded. Just like his boyfriend, he knew the risks of wrestling. It could go wrong at any moment, he was aware of that. He himself had been in the indies for many years, he had experienced it all. He couldn't promise him anything, but he would try his best. 'Don't worry about me, I'll be okay.' he replied. 'It won't last long. You can go to the cafeteria if you'd like, I'll meet you there. We'll have a nice little drink together, okay?'

Brad smiled and nodded. 'Yeah.'

'Come on now Braddy, don't be so worried. Don't be a lemon...'

'Be a rosebud. I know, Adam.'

'Excellent. Gotta go now, bye Braddy!'

The party animal gave his boyfriend a kiss on his cheek and walked away. His rosebuds were waiting for him and cheered when they finally saw him, wishing him good luck and cracking jokes about Jack. Together they headed towards the entrance, their voices could be heard even if they were far away. A little bit panicked, Brad looked around him. None of the people backstage had seen Adam kissing him on the cheek, they were too busy with their own stuff. They had been dating for less than a week, he still had to get used to receive small signs of endearment from a man. He was still nervous for how his colleagues would react if they would find out he was dating Adam. He remembered the reactions when Darren came out of the closet; they were surprised, but overall the reactions had been positive. They were all very understanding, but still... Brad was still too nervous.

Rolling his eyes and tapping the tabletop repeatedly with the tip of his finger, Brad let out an impatient sigh.

* * *

Where the hell was he?

The former General Manager had been sitting in the cafeteria for ten minutes, but still Adam hadn't showed up. He said the match wouldn't last long, but where was he? A little while ago, Brad had heard Adam's theme song in the distance, which meant he had won the match. That was five minutes ago, he was pretty sure about that. Brad decided to wait for five more minutes, and if he still wouldn't show up by then, he would go look for him. As the minutes ticked by, a slightly uncomfortable feeling developed in his stomach.

What if something happened to Adam?

Brad tried his best to ignore the feeling, he shouldn't be jumping to conclusions that fast. Maybe he was having an interview backstage, that was possible. Brad decided to wait for the remaining minutes. But still, no sign of Adam... the uncomfortable feeling got stronger and stronger.

Brad was tired of waiting. Just when he was about to get up from his seat to go look for his boyfriend, a female voice called out his name and a girl ran into the cafeteria. Brad raised his eyebrow. Who could that be? But judging by the outfit she was wearing (a more 'adult' version of a Disney Princess dress), he assumed she was one of Adam's rosebuds. 'Brad!' she exclaimed with a slightly panicked look on her face. Brad didn't like that look one bit; it only worsened that horrible feeling. 'Thank God, there you are! There's something wrong with Adam!'

Brad's heart skipped a beat. 'What?!'

'Jack had busted him open pretty badly, he's in the trainer's room!'

Jesus Christ... Immediately Brad got up from his seat and ran out of the cafeteria. He ran as fast as he could towards the trainer's room, some wrestlers and other staff members looked behind them and frowned in curiosity when they noticed him running past them. The former General Manager felt guilty for not searching for him earlier, fuck, he should have been there for him! He felt so ashamed... what kind of boyfriend was he? What kind of boyfriend would leave his lover bleeding? How bad was it anyway...? Would it leave a scar for the rest of his life? Brad hoped not. Damn, look at him now... before he was dating him he couldn't give a rat's ass if his face had been busted open and ruined forever by some ugly scar, but now he did. But however, there was a bright side. He could have had a lot worse, like a concussion or a broken bone. Luckily they wouldn't send you home if you had a cut on your face, but still, it's everything but a pretty sight. Brad just hoped the cut wouldn't be too bad.

'Please be okay...'

The trainer's room wasn't far away now, Brad was getting closer. Seeing the door of the trainer's room made his heartbeat raise, it wouldn't last long until he would find out about Adam's condition. He didn't even bother to knock on the door; nearly out of breath, he swung the door open. Adam was sitting on the examination table. The medic had just finished giving him his last stitch. Both of them looked up in surprise. The former General Manager's heart cringed when he saw the wound on Adam's face. Luckily it wasn't too serious, but he could clearly see it; it was a medium-sized vertical cut, not large, not small either. The cut was on the right side of his left eyebrow, the doctor had just stitched it up.

'Can I help you?' the medic asked.

For a moment, Brad didn't know what to say. He had busted into the room like a maniac, out of breath and his heart pounding rapidly in his chest. Man, this was really awkward...

'Ehrm... I... ehrm... is he alright?' Brad didn't want to make this any more awkward, he had to say something.

'You mean Adam here? Yes, he will be okay. He has received stitches which will be removed soon enough, but I'm not sure whether he will have a scar from all of this.'

'So he doesn't have a concussion or anything?'

'No. He is absolutely fine.'

Right on that moment, the cell phone of the medic went off. He quickly gave Adam a pack of ice, instructed him to hold it against his wound to ease the pain and got out of the room to start his conversation, shutting the door behind him.

The former General Manager let out a soft sigh. 'Thank God you're alright.'

Holding the pack of ice against his wound, Adam gently smiled at him. 'Yeah, I'm fine, Braddy. It only stings like crazy, though.'

'I think I might have a cure for that.'

Brad walked over to Adam, grabbed the hand he was holding the pack of ice with and guided it away from the wound. He then gently touched Adam's cheeks with both his hands and planted a kiss on the stitches. The skin around the cut may have been cold from the ice, but Brad's kiss immediately warmed the skin and soothed the pain. Adam smiled with satisfaction; the stitches were totally worth that sweet kiss.

'You scared me shitless over there, you know?' Brad mumbled, trailing with his thumb over his right hand over the party animal's cheek. 'I thought you would have a concussion or something like that.'

'You really thought that?' A warm feeling spread across Adam's chest. He was worried about him... he cared about him. For a moment he felt a bit guilty for leaving him in the cafeteria like that, Brad must have been worried sick... But the fact that he cared so much about him that he was actually worried, made the party animal fall in love with him even more.

'You are such a sweetie pie, Braddy.' the party animal purred.

'Come on now, now you're exaggerating a bit...' Brad chuckled. He didn't really think he was sweetie pie himself.

Suddenly, the party animal wrapped his arms around Brad's waist and pulled him close to him. 'Thank you for caring so much about me.' Adam said while nuzzling against his chest. 'You are the most epic boyfriend ever.'

Brad softly chuckled once more and ran his fingers through his long messy hair. The hair he loved to touch...

'I'm just glad you're okay.'


	7. The Party Is Over

**Chapter 7**

**The Party Is Over**

The car ride from the stadium to the hotel was long, but if Adam Rose is with you in the car, the trip will be everything but boring.

For the entire twenty kilometers, Brad and Adam talked about everything, from something silly like their favorite dish to something personal like their influences to join the WWE. Sometimes they would crank up the volume of the radio to sing along with the songs, but of course with the most off-key voices ever. Sometimes they paused their 'singing' to burst into a loud laughter, tears of laughter rolled down Brad's cheeks. His stomach hurt, he could barely breathe, but that didn't matter. It had been such a long time since he had such a good laugh like that, he felt like he deserved it. Before he had opened his eyes, he would have refused to the very end to let Adam inside his car, let alone take him along on his trip back to the hotel. But now he was having the time of his freaking life with having Adam as his boyfriend. He hadn't had a good time like this with any of his ex-girlfriends...

Seeing Braddy like this made him so happy. Adam had the feeling he had taken all the lemon out of him, Braddy hadn't been cranky ever since the day they started their relationship. Sure, he still acted nervous when they were together backstage, but he understood. Adam gave him the time to get used to all of this, this relationship was still so new to him. When he was dating a guy for the first time a couple of years ago, he was nervous as well. But later on, he got used to it; it felt completely normal. He would ignore the homophobic comments when he was out in public while holding hands with his current boyfriend at that time. Those comments just showed how those people really were, stupid and ignorant. They were just being big lemons. Adam has always been a cheerful and carefree person, and his happiness was only fueled by dating Brad. He felt like he was on top of the world, no, he felt like he was on top of the entire universe! A dream came true when Brad finally became his boyfriend and he didn't want to lose him, not now, not ever.

* * *

The car ride went on smoothly and the couple arrived at the hotel just in time for dinner. While they were walking across the parking lot, Brad could see 'The Exotic Express' parked in the distance; apparently the rosebuds had already taken care of it. Every table inside the restaurant of the rather luxurious hotel was occupied with WWE's wrestlers and Divas, but also other staff members, like the writers, technicians and catering staff. One table was occupied by quite a colorful bunch; the rosebuds. Most of them had already got their food (which some of it had spilled over their plates and stained the white tablecloths), but they barely took a bite from their dinners. No, they were way too busy to laugh and talk. They were so loud, some of the visitors of the restaurant had to speak a bit louder to their company so they were audible enough, much to their annoyance.

'What's up, rosebuds!' Adam called out loud. Everyone in the restaurant could kiss their tranquility goodbye.

Upon seeing Adam, the rosebuds immediately burst into a loud cheering fit, nearly making everyone's ears bleed. Brad softly snickered, God, these guys were so fucking batshit crazy. 'I'll be right at ya, gotta pick up some food first.' Adam replied. Together they walked over to the buffet, picked up some food (a salad for the former General Manager, steak with potatoes and peas for the party animal) and eventually settled down with the rosebuds. Some of the WWE personnel looked behind them with their eyebrow raised in curiosity. They had never seen Brad like this before, he was sitting at the rosebud's table like they had been friends forever. He had been acting so different lately... what was going on? But Brad and Adam knew better than that; undisturbed by the looks of them, they enjoyed their dinner along with the rosebuds. Brad didn't feel any disgust for the rosebuds anymore; it felt like they had been friends forever. Adam was glad to see Brad finally getting along with the rosebuds. Yup, the lemon was out of him alright.

After dinner, Adam and the rosebuds already wanted to go the 'The Exotic Express' to party all night long, but Brad didn't really feel like going right away. Halfway through their trip back to the hotel, he didn't feel really well, possibly a combination of traveling at late hours and attending backstage nearly every day. Right now the only thing he wanted to do want to lie down on his bed for a little bit and then come to the party afterwards. He hoped Adam would understand.

'Adam, hold on a moment.' he said when the party animal was about to leave the restaurant with the rosebuds, much to everyone's relief.

'What is it, my Braddy?' Adam answered when he took his lollipop out of his mouth. Apparently he thought a lollipop would make a good dessert after dinner.

'Would you mind if I come a little later? I want to lie down a bit, I don't feel really well.'

'Sure, I'll tell the rosebuds. Take your time.'

'I'll be there in half an hour, alright?'

'Sounds perfect. See you then, Braddy!' Adam playfully poked the tip of Brad's nose and gave him a sweet smile.

Brad smiled back and softly chuckled at this playful sign of endearment. 'See you there.'

* * *

The former General Manager was right; thirty minutes of lying down did him good.

It may have sounded a bit selfish, but it felt good to be alone for a while. The walls of his hotel bedroom were thick enough to isolate all the noise outside, which was perfect. The silence gave him the opportunity to get a good rest and now he was all better. Brad was looking forward to go to Adam's party, he was in the mood to have a good time with him and have a great night. Dating Adam has been such an amazing experience for him, it had truly opened his eyes. He was no longer interested into girls, he wasn't planning on dating a girl in the future. Right now Adam was the only man he would ever love. Brad had to thank Adam for showing him who he really was, he owed all of this recent happiness to him. It turned out Adam was a great boyfriend to him; he was kind, gentle and understanding, things he had never expected from him.

The thirty minutes had passed and Brad felt much better. It was time to get going; he didn't want to let Adam wait too long. He got up from his bed and took a look at himself in the mirror. His outfit was good enough to wear at the party, his hair was only a little bit shaggy from lying down. With his hand he quickly fixed his hair, grabbed the key of his hotel room and walked out the door.

Brad took his time while walking through the hotel, running was not needed. While he was walking he saw something that quite caught his eye. WWE wrestler Santino Marella and Diva Emma were in the hallway of the hotel, holding hands while walking towards the exit. So the rumors had been true after all... lately Brad had been hearing rumors of Santino and Emma being pretty close together, some wrestlers assumed they were having a relationship. Just before they exited the hotel, Brad witnessed Emma giving a kiss on Santino's cheek. Yup, it looked like the rumors were true. Hey, good for them, they were practically made for each other.

The former General Manager exited the hotel as well and headed straight towards the parking lot. And just like he expected, he heard loud rock music in the distance. He was surprised Adam or the rosebuds hadn't got deaf from the music yet, it would make every normal person's ears bleed. But somehow Brad guessed that if you had been partying for such a long time like they did, you would get used of the music being so loud. When Brad had exited 'The Exotic Express' along with Adam last time, there was a minor ringing noise in his ears. While getting closer to 'The Exotic Express', Brad started to look more and more forward to the night. He secretly hoped they would play a slow romantic song that night so he could have a gentle dance with Adam. The chance they would play a song like that was really minimal, but hey, there was still a chance, right? Having Adam's strong arms wrapped around his waist while slowly dancing to the music made Brad bite his lower lip in excitement, his cheeks colored red at the thought already...

Finally he had reached 'The Exotic Express', some of the rosebuds who were outside greeted him. Brad greeted them back and stepped into the bus. There were more rosebuds than last time inside, it was pretty damn crowded this time. Brad looked around, but he couldn't see Adam anywhere. Where could he be? Was he further in the back of the bus? Maybe it was that. The former General Manager made his way through the partying crowd, which was quite tough to do. The rosebuds were so busy partying they barely even noticed him. Step by step, Brad managed to get further and further while looking around for Adam. Then all of the sudden, on the right side of the bus, he saw the man he had loved so much...

Brad instantly froze.

His heart stopped beating.

He couldn't produce a single sound.

It was like the sound around him vanished away.

He didn't want to believe his eyes.

No...

This couldn't be...

This wasn't happening...

Yes, he found Adam. Leaning against the window, he had his arms wrapped around the waist of a girl with long blonde hair and wearing a nurse's outfit. They were sharing a deep kiss and apparently Adam wasn't noticing a single damn thing around him since he had his eyes closed. He was enjoying it... he was fucking enjoying it. Brad saw it all, but he couldn't do anything. His body felt like it was frozen, he couldn't move for one bit. All he could do was watching his boyfriend, his goddamn boyfriend, making out with a girl he had never seen before. It was like everything about his relationship with Adam shattered into tiny pieces, like a mirror being struck by a brick. Those sweet words, the gentle kisses, the happiness... it was all one big lie. One big illusion. Everything about this relationship was an illusion. Adam did mention he was bisexual, Brad didn't mind that, but this...

Adam broke the kiss with the girl. Much to Brad's horror, he saw him gently touching her cheek, like he did with him once. He was saying something to her, he didn't hear what he was saying because of the music... but it only increased the disbelief. The party animal must have heard something, because he was he looked up and looked into Brad's direction. Immediately upon seeing his boyfriend, Adam could feel his blood draining away from his face. His eyes widened with shock. His look was filled with sheer panic. 'Oh shit... Braddy!' he called out loud.

Emerald green met baby blue once more, but this time, it was completely different. When Brad's eyes met Adam's, he could feel the disbelief being replaced with a whole new emotion.

Hatred.

Pure hatred.

Filled with anger, Brad turned around and walked away. 'Braddy, wait!' the party animal exclaimed. But it was already too late. The former General Manager's heart was shattered into pieces, his trust in Adam was forever gone. The love he had was now replaced with hate. He practically shoved the rosebuds away from him, ignoring the offended remarks. Adam was dead to him, so they were dead to him as well. As soon as he got out of the bus, he power-walked away as quick as possible. He wanted to get away from it all; from Adam, the rosebuds, the partying, this entire fuck-up of a relationship, everything. Just then, he heard rapid footsteps behind him. A familiar voice called out his name, which made his blood boil even more.

'Braddy, please wait!'

Right after he was caught, Adam had pushed the girl away from him and went after Braddy. He didn't get panicked easily, but right now he was so panicked he could feel his heart pounding in his head. He wanted to explain everything, this wasn't what it looked like! When he saw Brad he ran as fast as he could.

Oh damn, this was going to be one hell of a heated conversation...

'Braddy, hold on, I-I can explain this!' Adam exclaimed when he finally reached the heartbroken man. Brad turned around. Adam nearly got scared when he saw the look in his eyes; they were burning with anger.

'Get the fuck away from me!' Brad yelled at the top of his lungs, making Adam cringe from the inside. 'You fucking bastard, how could you do this to me?!'

'Braddy, listen, I can explain this, this is not what it looks like!'

'No, I don't want to hear it! I don't want to hear a single damn word out of your filthy lying mouth of yours, Adam!'

'Listen to me, please!'

'Fuck you! You fucking scumbag! Making me believe we had something together... How could I have been so damn stupid to fall for a slut like you!'

Hearing that word broke Adam's heart. He wouldn't care if a stranger would call him a slut, but hearing that from the man he loved... it hurt. A lot. He grabbed Brad's shoulders, he started to become desperate. 'Please don't say that, Braddy! I'm not...'

When he felt Adam's touches on his shoulders, a thick red mist clouded Brad's sight. He clenched his fist and punched Adam in the face as hard as he could. He could feel the skin on his knuckles burst on the impact, but he was so angry he didn't even feel the pain. The party animal fell down on the ground; his lower lip had ripped open from the punch, resulting a trickle of blood trickling down his chin. Lying on the ground, he didn't know what hurt the most; the words or the busted lip. Holding his hand in front of his mouth, he stared at Brad in disbelief. The General Manager's eyes burned into his soul.

'We are done, Adam.' he spoke calmly, yet there was still a hint of anger in his voice. 'You and I, we are through. Got it? I never want to see you again.' He turned around, ready to walk away. 'You filthy slut...' Brad walked away, not even bothering to look behind him.

Adam was left all alone on the parking lot, lying on the ground, the blood of his lip dripping on the ground... and his heart shattered into millions of pieces.

'Braddy... no...'


	8. Heartbreak And Regret

**Chapter 8**

**Heartbreak And Regret**

With thick black spots nearly blinding his sight, his lungs hurting like hell and a loud ringing noise deafening his ears, Brad headed back to the hotel.

He forced himself not to burst into tears, his eyes were burning like hell, but that bastard Adam wasn't worth one single tear. He could now feel the pain from his damaged knuckle, he had possibly scraped it against a tooth. But Brad didn't care; he hoped he had knocked out all of his fucking teeth. God damn it, he felt like such an idiot for falling for Adam in the first place, how could he have been so blind? There was still so much rage inside Brad, for one moment he wanted to go back to kick the party animal's ass over the place, but he forced himself to keep going. He wasn't worth it. He decided to leave him like that on the parking lot, with bloody lip and all. All alone, like he deserved. Let that fucker rot.

Brad arrived at the entrance at the hotel and went in. It was now later in the evening, so most of the WWE staff who went out to the city to have fun were now returning. They needed sleep, they had to get up early to catch their flight to the city WWE would have their next show. But Brad was pretty sure he wouldn't get any sleep that night. He was hurt, heartbroken, mad as hell. It was crowded in the hallway of the hotel, but Brad didn't hear a single damn thing around him. The loud ringing noise was still in his ears. All what he wanted right now was to go back to his hotel room. He wanted to be alone, he wanted to be alone forever. Never in his entire life he would have a relationship again. It didn't matter if you'd date a man or woman, it would end up in a fucking disaster anyway. It looked like Santino and Emma had returned from their night out as well, noticing them made Brad even feel more awful. He walked faster, not wanting to burst into tears. Right now he couldn't bear watching other couples being happy. He thought he was happy with Adam, but apparently it all didn't matter to him. No, he just had to go and cheat on him with some bitch. Between the dark spots dancing in front of his eyes, the whole scene replayed over again. Brad blinked with his eyes and shook his head, trying to remove that horrible memory from his eyes. It worked, but it didn't make him feel any better. On the contrary; it made him feel even more awful.

At the elevators Brad pressed on the button to get the elevator to the floor. It took two minutes for that damn thing to come down because of all the people who were already using it. Brad got in and immediately pressed the button to shut the doors. There weren't any other people inside the elevator, which was good. The former General Manager didn't want anyone around him now. The doors shut behind him and the elevator went up. Brad let out a soft sigh and rubbed his temples. His eyes were burning like hell, there were so many tears behind his eyes. A lump with the size of a meteorite began to develop in his throat. Damn it, he just wanted to cry.

The elevator finally arrived at the floor Brad wanted to be. He got out and walked towards his room. He got the key out of his pocket, unlocked the door and got in. Shutting the door was nearly symbolic to him; permanently ending this illusion of a relationship.

Everything was quiet.

Not a single sound was heard.

It was over.

It was all over.

Brad could feel his legs becoming numb. He sat on the floor with his back touching the door. Earlier he had forced himself to hold back his tears, but now the former General Manager broke down. All alone in his hotel room, he let the tears he held back flow down his face, dripping down his chin and staining his waistcoat. He sobbed inaudibly, yet uncontrollably. These tears were not only tears of rage, but also of heartbreak. Never in his entire life, Brad had never been hurt so badly. He had heard so many stories of relationships ending because one of the partners had cheated on the other with another person. He never thought that would happen to him, but it did.

'Why Adam? Why...?' Brad thought to himself. What did he do to deserve this? He thought this relationship with Adam was perfect, he felt beloved, understood... Everything seemed so perfect. The conversations... the friendship... the love...

Suddenly, Brad felt dirty. It made his skin crawl. It felt like hundreds of strangers had touched him, he felt so dirty. Remembering that one night made his stomach clench together violently. Adam had touched him everywhere, it were the touches that made Brad fell in love with him. And now he felt so disgusted. He wanted to scrub the touches off, all of them. What he needed most right now was a shower. A steaming hot shower. The former General Manager got up and walked towards the bathroom. He took off his clothes and stepped inside the shower cabin. He twisted the button for the warm water and the hot wetness poured down on him immediately. It colored his skin on his back red, it felt like the water was burning off the touches. It hurt, but Brad didn't care. He didn't care about anything anymore. He grabbed the washcloth that was hanging inside the shower cabin and violently scrubbed his body, wanting to cleanse himself of Adam's touches. More tears of heartbreak flowed down his face.

Brad wasn't sure if he would ever be able to love somebody again.

* * *

'Jesus, Adam! Are you alright?'

Hiding his bloody lip with his hand, Adam got inside the bus. He didn't even bother to reply the question of the concerned rosebud, he was too miserable for that. He hadn't felt like this in ages, he felt horrible.

Braddy was gone.

He was gone and it was all his fault.

The party animal wished he could blame it on somebody else, but he couldn't. Because all of this mess was his own damn fault. He wasn't sure what was hurting the most: the words Brad said to him, the punch, the bloody lip... or the fact that he had betrayed him by kissing one of his ex-girlfriends. Adam didn't have any feelings for her, honestly, he didn't! But hell... who would believe somebody who cheated on his partner with somebody else? But it was true, really.

The girl he had kissed was his ex-girlfriend Janelle. She had been a rosebud almost since the beginning. After a little while they started dating and they had the time of their lives. But unfortunately, all good things came to an end when they had one hell of an argument, causing Janelle to immediately break up with him and leaving the rosebuds. Adam hadn't seen her ever since and was heartbroken by all of this. But as time went on, his heart was healed and he had practically forgotten all about her. Fine, if she wanted be a lemon, then let her be, at least that's what he thought. At least he had his rosebuds to comfort him, they were the greatest friends he could ever ask for. And Braddy... oh man, he loved him with all his heart.

And right on that night, Janelle showed up again.

Adam was surprised, what was she doing here? During the argument she told him she never wanted to see him again, then why did she show up? Letting out a soft sigh, Janelle told him she would be moving to England for a job. She also told him that she regretted saying those things during the argument and that she wanted to see him one last time before leaving. And that's when Janelle kissed him. Adam wanted to shove her off, his heart belonged to Braddy, but it was no use. The kiss from Janelle reminded him of the past when they were together, it felt so good... and before he knew it, Adam gave in. After the kiss, he wished her the best.

The moment afterwards gave him the shock of a lifetime.

How long had Braddy been watching him? Adam immediately started to panic, this wasn't what it looked like! He tried to explain it, but as an answer he received hurtful words, a punch to the lip and a break-up.

Lying on the ground, Adam watched Braddy walk away until he was out of his sight. He wanted to go after him, but he couldn't. After a little while he got up and walked back to 'The Exotic Express', torn by feelings of regret. This was no night to party.

The party animal shut off the stereo player, abruptly cutting off the music. The rosebuds stopped dancing and looked around them, some of them questioned who shut off the music. 'Rosebuds!' Adam called out loud, trying his best to hide his heartbreak. 'I'm sorry to tell you all this, but the party is over. You'll have to go back to the hotel. Good night.'

But this only raised more questions for the rosebuds. Why was Adam stopping the party? What was going on? Was something wrong? Why was his lip bleeding? Adam had never stopped a party before, this wasn't like him! Immediately they bombarded Adam with their questions.

'Just... go to the hotel. The party is over.' Adam answered. He could feel himself starting to get annoyed, something he wouldn't get easily.

But the rosebuds wouldn't stop. They kept asking and asking... until Adam, much unlike his personality, snapped.

'Are you deaf?!' he shouted at the rosebuds. Their eyes went wide with shock and they fell silent. 'I said the party is over, got it? Now go! Just go!'

Not one of the rosebuds dared to question him further, they were too astonished. Softly murmuring, they all headed to the doors of the bus and got out. Some of them looked behind them, and Adam could swear some of them were glaring at him. Everyone was gone. He was all alone.

Never in his entire life, Adam felt that guilty. Great, so now did he only cause Braddy to hate him, but also the rosebuds. Everything that had happened tonight was all his fault. Looking around him, Adam started to feel empty. The colored lights were still flashing, there were beer cans everywhere and here and there was a balloon. Someone had forgotten his sunglasses, which were now lying on the ground. The background looked so lively... and yet Adam hadn't felt this lonely in years. The loneliness and guilt mixed up together and made him feel miserable like he never felt before.

Adam walked to the back of the bus, grabbed the key from the pocket of his vest and opened the door. Once he got inside his bedroom he shut the door behind him. Looking at his bedroom didn't make him feel any better. In fact, he started to feel even more guilty and lonely. This is where it all happened... this is where he started his relationship with Braddy.

The relationship he had ruined.

That realization made the tears come out. Adam lied down on his bed and cried. This was his fault, this was all his fault. Braddy would never want to see him again, it was all over, he hated him. God damn it, why did he have to give into that damn kiss?! This only made Adam hate himself even more. He wanted to go back in time and fix all of this, but that was impossible. Closing his eyes, he remembered Brad's face. The baby blue eyes, his brown slightly curled hair, his cute nose, his lips he could kiss any day... The face he loved so much...

More tears flowed down Adam's face as he continued to cry.

It was all over now.

This was all his fault.


	9. When A Rose Loses Its Petals

**Chapter 9**

**When A Rose Loses Its Petals**

Every wrestler and Diva in the WWE was familiar with this rule in the business; no matter how miserable you are, the show still must go on. It doesn't matter how frustrated or depressed you are, you had to force a smile in front of the audience and give it your all to entertain them. The only time you had to express your true emotions is when you were all alone in your hotel room, where you could cry and shout all you wanted. The only risk was that if the walls were too thin, the colleague who was in the next room would give you a weird look the next morning.

Adam wasn't the type to lock himself up in his room to cry out his heartbreak, he had never been that type. Instead he tried to hide his sadness by partying, wrestling and acting as cheerful as possible. Previous cases of heartbreak were usually fixed after partying, but unfortunately, this time it didn't work. He could dance, drink, play 'Hungry Hungry Hippos', consume lollipops and joke around as much as he could, but the regret was still inside him. Stuck like a damn rat in a trap. The parties weren't the same anymore since Brad broke up with him after that catastrophic incident. The next day after Adam had kicked the rosebuds out of 'The Exotic Express', he had apologized to them for his behavior that night. They had accepted his apology, but some of them noticed the eyelids around the party animal's eyes were slightly red. As if he had been crying all night long... which was true. Adam couldn't stop crying last night, the regret was tearing him apart.

'This is all your fault, Adam...' a voice whispered in his head. 'You broke his heart... He will never trust you again... He never wants to see you again... He hates you forever now... He wishes you were dead... You are nothing more than a slut.' If regret had a voice, it would be that one. Adam was convinced about that. At one point he managed to cry himself to sleep. But even in his sleep, the regret didn't leave him alone. He dreamed that everything was alright between him and Braddy again, they were holding hands and hugging. Braddy gave him the most loving look ever, the baby blue eyes Adam loved so much made him feel like he was on cloud nine once more... and that's when the party animal had woken up. With his heart beating like crazy he looked next to him, hoping Braddy would be lying next to him with that same smile he had after that one special night. But the left side of the bed was completely empty... making the tears come out again.

Of course Adam wanted to apologize to Brad, it was the only thing he wanted to do right now. Only problem was that Brad was avoiding him at all costs. When the WWE staff were inside the airplane for their flight to the next city, Adam was sitting in the back of the plane and the former General Manager was in the far front of the plane. Before all of the drama happened, they had agreed to book seats next to each other, like any couple would do. It looked like Brad had changed his seat. For three days, three agonizing days, Brad had been avoiding Adam, giving him no chance to apologize. Immediately after a match, Adam would go backstage to search for his ex-boyfriend. When he would find him, his heart would skip a beat. But before he could even start apologizing, the heartbroken man would bitterly murmur: 'Go away.'. Then he would walk away from him, making Adam even feel more guilty.

During that time, Adam had to put on a mask; from the outside, he was the jolly party animal, but on the inside the regret was driving him to a depression. And keeping that mask on was pretty damn hard. During the shows he would always see a couple in the audience; loving and having a good time. Seeing those couples like that made Adam even more miserable. But he refused to take that mask off. He had to solve this on his own, this was his own business. The only thing that lifted his mood just for a tiny bit was partying. The rosebuds had forgotten all about Adam's angry outburst already, so they partied on like nothing happened. But as soon after the party had ended, the voice came back to taunt Adam once more, only stopping when he cried himself asleep.

The unthinkable had happened... the ringleader of the rosebuds became a lemon.

* * *

'Alright, now I wanna know what's going on here!'

Adam slightly jumped when he heard the female voice and felt someone sitting down next to him on the couch. He was getting tired of dancing all the time and wanted to sit down for a moment. Looking left to him, it looked like Tutu Girl decided to make him some company.

'What has been going on with you lately, Adam?' the redhead asked. 'I have the feeling something's been wrong with you...'

Damn it, how did she know? Maybe she had seen the look on his face when he was sitting down. Adam was wondering what he was supposed to do now. He wanted Braddy back, that's all he wanted. But how the hell was he supposed to get him back if he was avoiding him all the time? And judging by the bitter tone in his voice, it didn't look like Brad wanted to come back to him. Was it already too late to get him back? The thought of it made his stomach clench; he was afraid he was going to throw up.

'Nothing's wrong with me, Tutu. Just a bit tired.' Adam replied.

Tutu Girl shook her head. 'You're a nice guy Adam, but you're not going to fool me. What's going on?'

'I'm fine, really...'

'No, you're not.'

'I am!'

'Nope, still not buying it.'

'Tutu...'

'Adam. Just tell me what's going on.'

The party animal let out a sigh. He gave up. It was no use to deny it any longer. Adam stared at the ground and twiddled with his thumbs, wondering if it was the right idea to tell her all about what had been bothering him so much lately. Would she judge him? No, of course not. Tutu Girl knew him well, she knew he was bisexual. Tutu Girl was a sweetheart, she wouldn't judge him for his sexuality. But would she judge him for cheating on Brad? Big chance... who wouldn't be disgusted by that? But Adam decided to tell her. Besides, maybe he would feel a little bit better to talk about all of this with somebody. He stopped twiddling his thumbs and looked at Tutu Girl.

'You remember Braddy, right?'

'Yeah, of course!'

'Uhm... you see... we were dating.'

'Wow, really?!' Tutu Girl blinked her eyes in surprise, slightly widening them. 'That is awesome! I'm so happy for you! Wait... you said 'were'... Does it mean it's over now?'

The party animal slightly bit his lower lip and nodded. Damn it, he just wanted to cry a river of tears now, but he held his tears back.

'Yeah... and it's my fault.'

'Your fault? How?'

'I... Do you still remember Janelle?'

'Janelle? Oh yeah, that girl. What happened?'

'Well... she showed up again a couple of days ago.'

'Seriously? I thought she had left!'

'Yeah, but she showed up anyway. She told me she was going to England for a new job and that she wanted to see me one last time.'

'Then what happened?'

Adam took a deep breath and let out a sigh. No turning back now, he had to confess it to her. 'She kissed me... and I kissed her back.'

'What?!' Tutu Girl exclaimed. 'While you were dating Braddy? That's seriously messed up, Adam, you don't do that when you have a relationship!'

Adam cringed from the inside upon hearing those words. It was true what she said, it was really fucked up what he did. It was the worst thing he had ever done in his life, he had hurt Braddy so much with this. And now he had disgusted Tutu Girl with this as well. What a despicable rosebud he was...

'I know, I know... What I did was horrible, it was... something a real lemon would do.'

'Exactly.' Tutu Girl answered coldly. 'What happened then?'

'Braddy caught us.'

'Oh no...'

'I tried to explain it all... but all I got was a punch to the lip. Then he broke up with me.'

'Damn.' So that explained the bloody lip he had that night...

There, it was out. It made Adam feel a little bit better to talk about it, but it was not much. It didn't make Braddy come back to him, though.

'All this time I have tried to apologize to him, but he just doesn't want to talk to me anymore. It's hard, Tutu, it's really hard.'

'Yeah, no shit! You have hurt him, Adam!'

'Don't you think I know that? It's all my fault that he hates me now!' Adam let out a sigh. 'I want to set things right... I want him to come back to me.'

'How many times did you try apologizing to him?'

'Every chance I got. But he just doesn't want to speak to me.'

'Look, Adam...' Tutu Girl put her hand on his shoulder. 'What you did was really hurtful, Brad might never be able to forgive and forget about it. If he doesn't want anything to do with anymore, than that's his choice. He has the right to move on, Adam, you need to respect that. You need to move on as well, sticking onto this will drive you mad. And you're not getting him back like that, believe me. You know... sometimes it's better to let it go.'

'But Tutu...' Adam really had to control himself now to not burst into tears. 'I love him...'

It was silent between the two for a moment.

'You know what?' Tutu Girl said. 'Try to apologize to him one more time. Be sincere, let him know that you truly love him. If however, he still doesn't accept it... then you need to let him go and move on with your life.'

Adam nodded. She was right. Every word she said was true. It was no use being stuck into this. Brad indeed had the right to move on, he had the right to be happy. Maybe he could be happier with somebody else... He had one last chance. One last chance to set this all right. One last chance to get him back. And if he still would refuse him... he had to live with it. These days were mentally tearing him apart, he was stuck in a vicious cycle; waking up with tear-stained cheeks, barely being able to eat his breakfast, catching the same plane his heartbroken love was in, struggling to keep up a smile during the shows, desperately searching for his love backstage, getting rejected, trying to keep his mask on during the parties, being mentally tortured by the regret's voice and eventually crying himself to sleep. He had to get out of this cycle, this was driving him into depression filled with madness. The only way to get out was to get Brad back... or let him go.

'Yes...' he mumbled. 'I will do my best.'

After one and a half hour, 'The Exotic Express' had ended its tour and stopped at the parking lot of the hotel. The doors opened with a loud puffing sound and the rosebuds stepped out, loudly chanting Adam's theme song and laughing out loud.

But the ringleader himself wasn't in the mood of laughing.

For that one and a half hour, he had been mentally preparing himself. He knew exactly what to do; he would go to the hotel, go to Brad's room and try to apologize to him one last time. This was his very last chance to make it up to him, he would go for it. This could go two ways; or Brad would finally accept his apology, restore their relationship and move on again or he would reject him again, never being able to forgive him. He would then stay out of Brad's life forever, he wouldn't ruin it any longer and let him go. He had the right to be happy after all; Adam loved Brad, he wanted him to be happy. And if letting him go made him happy, then... it would be better that way.

Staring at the hotel, Adam took a deep breath.

He was ready.

One last chance.

It was now or never.


	10. Apology Accepted?

**Chapter 10**

**Apology Accepted?**

**Warning: This chapter contains male on male sexual content.**

'_Do I wanna know…?_

_If this feeling flows both ways…_

_Sad to see you go…_

_Was sort of hoping that you'd stay…'_

Brad wasn't even halfway the song yet, but he already knew he should shut the radio off. 'Do I Wanna Know' from the band 'Arctic Monkeys'… he cursed that song. Not that it was a bad song, it was way better than the crap you'd hear nowadays on the radio, it was just… that it reminded him of Adam. He had hoped that listening to some music would feel him a bit better, but it made him feel even more miserable than he already was.

With an annoyed groan he reached over to the small radio on the nightstand and shut it off.

These had been the worst three days of his life. Many hours had passed, but that didn't fix Brad's broken heart. He still couldn't believe Adam did such a thing to him, what he did was absolutely unforgivable. Brad could never forgive him this, not even in a million years. He had destroyed everything between them; the friendship, the trust, but most importantly, the love. This had hurt Brad so much. He doubted he could ever love somebody again, let alone trust somebody. Half an hour… half an hour and Adam couldn't even fucking resist to make out with some slut in a nurse's outfit. No, Brad didn't regret punching Adam on the lip for one bit; it's what that fucker deserved.

But it didn't last long before the side-effects of the heartbreak kicked in. In fact, it already started from the moment Brad went to sleep. He had expected he would immediately fall asleep due to all the emotions he had this awful night, but it didn't happen. Instead, he tossed and turned, not being able to get the memory out of his head. He would doze off every half hour, but would then wake up again. Doze off, wake up, doze off, wake up, doze off, wake up… it repeated itself through the whole night. When Brad woke up in the morning, he noticed that his cheeks were wet with tears. He didn't remember crying in his sleep, but it had happened. During the short periods of sleep the memory wouldn't leave him alone either, as if it was taunting him like: 'You see what your boyfriend did? He didn't love you. He was nothing more than a slut.'

To make matters only worse was the fact that Adam was constantly looking for him to apologize. But unfortunately for him, it was far too late. Brad didn't want to hear a single damn word out of his mouth, he never wanted to see him again, let alone hear his voice again. The best solution for him was to tell him to fuck off and walk away, because every time when he noticed Adam, Brad started to feel the anger boiling inside him. He had tried to apologize to him many times, but if he dared to try to apologize to him one more time, Brad swore he was going to tear his lip open once more. One more attempt to apologize and he would fucking kill Adam. Brad had never been this bitter before. The anger mixed together with the heartbreak and the lack of sleep he had for the past three nights, turning him into probably the bitterest person in the WWE.

Speaking of the WWE… Brad had thought about it. And he had decided.

He was going to leave the WWE.

Brad had enough. He had enough from all of this. The traveling, his failure of a career… but the straw that broke the camel's back was Adam's betrayal. His entire childhood dream had turned into a nightmare, a nightmare he wished to wake up from. He had already figured out how he would end it all; tomorrow, after the show, he would go talk to Vince to put an end to his contract. His suitcase was already packed, he was ready to immediately leave after being released. His dream of ever becoming the next big thing was so completely out of his reach, it would never come true now. Brad would let go of him childhood dream and move on, maybe find a job outside the wrestling business. He didn't care what it would be, as long as he would forget his career in WWE… and Adam.

Brad was sick of it all.

Suddenly, three knocks on the hotel room's door made him look up. The former General Manager frowned in curiosity. 'Who is there?' he asked loudly.

'Braddy… it's me, Adam.'

Hearing that voice and his nickname made a heavy chill run up Brad's spine. Immediately he could feel his blood starting to boil. Was he coming to his hotel room now too, what the fuck?! 'Fuck off, Adam!' he shouted. 'I never want to see you again!'

Standing outside the hotel room, Adam cringed from the inside. Yup, he had already expected a reaction like this. Earlier before, he had entered the hotel with his heart beating rapidly in his chest. This was his last chance to attempt to make it up with Braddy, he shouldn't fuck it up now. He would try his best to let Braddy come back to him, it's all he wanted now. But if even his best wasn't enough for him and he would still refuse… then Adam would let him go. Partying would never be the same without Braddy anymore, but he would try. Braddy had the right to move on, he wanted him to be happy. One last chance… Adam took a deep breath and let out a sigh.

'Please… let me in.'

'Are you deaf?! Fuck off!'

'Braddy, please, just give me chance.'

'No! Go away!'

'Please…'

'Fuck off!'

Adam let out a sigh. Just like he thought, he was still mad at him… even after three days. 'Braddy, listen to me.' he said, his voice now having something sad. 'Please let me in. All I want right now is one last chance to apologize to you. I know I have hurt you, but please, give me at least one last chance. If you still don't want to come back to me, I'd understand. I will leave you alone and let you move on. Now could you please let me in?'

It was quiet inside the hotel room. Brad was thinking. One last chance, he said? Shit, he didn't deserve one single chance. He had thrown them all away when he kissed that bitch. But still… it wouldn't be really fair. Somewhere in Brad's mind, he thought that he should be given one last chance to apologize. Fine. He would give Adam that chance; he would let him talk, but if he finds out that he is bullshitting him, he would kick him out, simple as that.

'Fine. Hold on.' the former General Manager mumbled emotionlessly.

The party animal's heart skipped a beat. He was going to let him in! He was giving him a chance, finally! But he shouldn't be celebrating too soon… he still had to face the confrontation with Braddy, and he was pretty damn sure it was going to be heated as hell. He mentally prepared himself for shouting, tears and harsh words.

Adam heard the click of the lock being unlocked and Brad opened the door. The party animal was slightly startled when he saw his eyes; the baby blue eyes he loved so much were now completely emotionless. There were dark circles under Brad's eyes, as if he hadn't had a good sleep in days. Adam knew the emotionless eyes and dark circles were his fault.

'Get in.'

* * *

Adam could feel his heartbeat rising when he stepped inside the hotel room. While the party animal shut the door behind him, Brad walked to the middle of the room and turned around to face Adam. He folded his arms and his eyes started to show a bit of emotion; anger. Brad's glare didn't make Adam feel one bit comfortable. This is it. It was now or never.

'Right.' Brad spoke emotionlessly. 'Speak up.'

Adam let out a soft sigh. No turning back now… 'Braddy… I know I have hurt you, and you should know that I regret it so much. Please, I'm begging you… come back to me.'

Brad let out a scoff, shook his head and curled the corners of his mouth into a mocking smile. 'That's it? That's all you have to tell me, Adam?'

'I know I have fucked up, big time! I want to make it up to you, I want you back!'

'Oh please, shut up. Shut the hell up. You're not gonna get me back like this, you know. You have fucking ruined it, Adam, you have ruined it all!'

By saying those words, Brad had rubbed even more salt into Adam's wound. He knew this was all his fault, and it was tearing him apart for days. He saw the anger in Brad's eyes flaring up.

'How could I have been so goddamn stupid…?' the former General Manager hissed, losing his temper by the second. 'Falling for an asshole like you... I trusted you, I loved you! But instead, while I was out of your sight, you hooked up with some slut! How could you do this to me, Adam?!'

Brad's yell was loud enough to wake up every person in the hotel, it was that loud. It nearly scared Adam, he had never seen Brad that angry. And once again, he realized that all that rage that came out of him now was also his fault. But Brad wasn't done yet. All the anger he had pent up these three days was now coming out.

'You fucking bastard!' he yelled. 'That had to be the worst thing you have ever done to me! I am seriously hurt, Adam! You couldn't have done anything more painful to hurt me!'

'I know that, and I am so sorry for that…'

'No Adam, that's not how it works! Don't expect people to immediately forgive you when you tell them you're sorry, Jesus, what's wrong with you?!'

'I know it doesn't work like that! Fuck, Braddy…'

Brad was right; saying that you were sorry was not some magical spell, people would still feel hurt. Adam was looking for words to say, but there were too many. 'This is all my fault…' he softly spoke.

'Yes. Yes, it is.' Brad replied coldly. He loudly breathed out through his nose; perhaps most of his anger had been out now. 'Who was she anyway?'

'Who? The girl?'

'Yeah, who else?'

Adam slightly bit his lower lip and stared at the ground. 'She… she was my ex-girlfriend. She was moving away to another country and wanted to see me one last time.'

The party animal expected another cold reply from the former General Manager, but it was quiet. What was this? No insults? No screaming? Suddenly, a loud sob abruptly broke the silence. Adam looked up; the sight broke his heart even more. Brad stared at him, tears were flowing down his cheeks. His chin slightly trembled, as if he was about to burst into a crying fit. But that didn't happen. He just stared at him, more tears flowed down his cheeks and dripped off, staining the carpet.

'Did you… still have feelings for her?' Brad eventually managed to croak out. 'You kissed her back… were you still in love with her?'

'No… oh God, Braddy, no…' Adam's feelings for Janelle had completely died, Brad was the only one for him now. He loved Brad more than he once loved Janelle. Seeing Braddy like this made him want to embrace him, he had the strong urge to comfort him. He could never love anybody more than he loved Braddy. He walked towards the sobbing man and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him in for a tight hug. Brad slightly jumped at the touch and grabbed the leathery material of Adam's vest. He clenched his fists in the material until his knuckles were white.

'Get your hands off from me… Don't touch me…' Brad miserably sobbed, but other than grabbing Adam's vest, he didn't attempt to shove him off or anything. The former General Manager was battling with conflicted feelings; he wanted to push Adam off from him, slap him in the face and kick him out of his hotel room, but at the same time… he needed this. He had been so miserable lately, this hug felt like a warm blanket being put around him. But the most conflicting part of it was the fact that it was Adam who was hugging him. The man who had broken his heart… and yet he needed this hug. The former General Manager softly sobbed, his tears staining Adam's vest.

The party animal on his part had ignored Brad's pleas to stop. 'That's not true, Braddy…' he softly said, trying his best to comfort him. 'I don't love her, she doesn't mean a thing to me. You do, Braddy. You are the only one for me. I have always loved you… I'm so sorry…' But the man continued to cry.

'I don't know, Adam…' he sobbed. 'I just don't know…' The former General Manager had no idea what to do anymore. Should he believe Adam? Just then, the party animal started to gently touch his hair, carefully running his finger through the brown tresses. He was doing it again… the gentle touches made the anger slightly fade away, but the faded away pieces of anger were now replaced with confusion.

'Sssssh, Braddy, calm down…' Adam whispered with a soothing voice. He felt Brad's fists clenched onto his vest, but he was surprised he hadn't shoved him off already. While stroking his hair, he could feel tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. Jesus Christ, he had missed this so much. Being able to hug him and touch his hair was a true blessing. Just then, Brad stopped sobbing.

'Adam… I have to tell you something…'

'What is it?' Adam's heart jumped a beat. Was he going to forgive him?

'I… I'm going to leave WWE.'

The party animal's eyes went wide with shock and let go of Brad. With his eyes filled with disbelief, he stared at him. ' W-what?!' he stammered in shock. 'Why?!'

'I've given up, Adam.' Brad murmured. 'My career has come to an end, I can get released at any moment anyway. My dream of becoming the next big has been crushed into dust, there is no way in hell it will ever come true now. And after what you had done… that's when I decided to leave.'

All of Adam's blood drained away from his face. It felt like his heart had stopped beating. Oh God… oh no… not this… This was his fault. He made Brad Maddox, the man he loved, leave WWE because of his actions. Now his chances to get him back were dropped rock bottom. He would never see him again, let alone hear something from him again. If he had refused to come back to him, Adam had expected him to do that by shouting at him and throwing him out, but not like this. He had never expected this, not even in a million years.

'So… does that mean you won't come back to me?' the party animal asked, nearly on the verge of breaking into tears.

Brad looked away from him and stared at the ground. He was conflicted; when he decided to leave WWE, yes, he was still mad at Adam. But now, after that hug... after feeling his gentle touch again… he didn't know what to say.

Adam let out a sigh. He had been preparing himself for this. So this was it, then. It was over. It was all over.

'Alright… I understand.' he spoke. 'I am not forcing you to come back to me, Braddy. You are a human being, you have the right to choose your own path and move on. I will not hold you back. I want you to be happy, and if you feel unhappy about coming back to me, then I want to let you go. All I want for you is to be happy, Braddy. I hope you will have a better life out there, find new love maybe. I shall move on as well. It will be hard, but I will try my best. If this is what you want, I won't stop you. I won't stop you on your path to happiness.'

Brad had absolutely no idea what to say. He wanted to say something, but it was like there was sand stuck in his throat. The green eyes he had loved so much once were now almost overflowing with tears. He had never seen Adam like this, he bet not one of the rosebuds had ever seen him in tears before. The teary emerald green eyes made him heavily doubt his decision… was this really the right thing to do? Would this really make him any happier? He would have to miss those eyes, the touches… everything.

'I wish you nothing more but the best. Goodbye, Braddy.' Adam turned around and walked towards the door. When he was about the open the door, he looked at Braddy for one more time. The man he loved so much… 'But you should really know… I'm so sorry for what I did… I love you… and I will always love you. I hope you can forgive me someday.' Adam pulled down the door handle to exit.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps rapidly heading towards him, a pair of arms wrapping around his waist and something pressing against his entire back. Brad had grabbed him and tightly held him against his body.

'Don't go!' the former General Manager yelled.

'Braddy…' Adam whispered in disbelief. 'What are you?'

'Don't you dare to fucking go!' New tears emerged from Brad's eye corners. 'Damn it Adam... I know you have hurt me… you have broken my heart, but I don't want you to leave!' Adam turned around, facing his emotional lover. The new tears were now flowing down his cheeks. 'During these days I have hated you and ignored you… but still, somewhere deep inside… I still loved you.'

Adam couldn't believe his ears. After all this shit… he still loved him?! This send his heartbeat to the max point, for a moment he was scared his heart would jump out of his chest.

'You… you do?!'

'It sounds completely illogical, but… yes.' It was true. Somewhere, deep inside Brad's broken heart… he still had feelings for Adam. He couldn't believe it himself, but he had. He had hated him so much, but still... there was still some love for him. It may have been not much, but it was still there. Adam had made him feel beloved, something he hadn't felt like in such a long time. With Adam, he felt like he was somebody… The tearful green eyes had brought back the feelings he had for him.

Brad softly nodded. 'I don't want to be unhappy again… and if I'd leave, I would never see you again… I can't live with that thought.'

'Braddy…'

'Adam…'

The former General Manager put his hands on Adam's cheeks, gently pulled him in and kissed him on the lips. The party animal felt lightheaded as euphoria spread throughout his entire body. No way… he had to be dreaming… After three agonizing days of being stuck in a miserable cycle, Braddy had forgiven him… He loved him again… He came to back him… This was a dream coming true! Adam closed his eyes and fully gave in, letting out a soft hum as he kissed back. After a short while, they both needed air. The two reunited lovers stared at each other in a loving gaze. Baby blue met emerald green once more, melting the last bit of ice between them. Immediately they dived in for another kiss. Adam wrapped his arms around Brad's waist and pulled him in deeper, deepening the kiss even more.

He had never felt this happy in his entire life.

* * *

With their tongues dancing together in a passionate dance, the reunited lovers practically tore off the clothing from their upper body.

The kisses did not only bring the love back again, but also something else; burning desire. Being kissed so passionately like that after three loveless days would send anyone's desire skyrocketing. Brad and Adam had nearly forgotten how good it felt to kiss each other again, it became nearly addicting. The urge to make sweet love completely took over their minds, it was that strong.

The two lovers fell on the bed with a loud thud as the passion grew bigger and bigger. Just like that one night, Brad fell in love with Adam's kisses once more. He could taste the mix of strawberries and alcohol again, and damn, it was so good. Soon they both needed air and broke the kiss. A thin string of saliva kept them connected as they caught their breath. Immediately after that, Adam pressed his lips against Brad's neck, earning a soft hum of bliss from the former General Manager. Feeling those lips against his skin was all he wanted now, it made his skin crawl in a good way. And it all got better when Adam's hand explored his bare chest and gently pinched his nipple. Brad let out a loud moan and slightly arched his back as he felt heavy jolts traveling towards his groin.

'I want you…' Adam whispered, his voice raw with passion.

'Oh God… Adam… yes…'

The party animal immediately planted his lips on his neck again and pinched a bit harder; all of this made Brad feel like his head was spinning. Letting out a whimper of ecstasy, he grabbed Adam's hair and pressed his face closer against his neck, deepening the kisses. Adam let out a grunt, but not a pained one. He didn't mind a bit of hair-pulling during sex, in fact, he enjoyed it a bit. The kisses turned into licks and hickeys, leaving dark blue spots on the skin.

'Adam… please…' Brad moaned with a shaky voice.

'What is it, Braddy?' the party animal purred.

'Please… I… I want… you inside me… now!' Brad couldn't take it anymore; he wanted Adam to claim his body, right here, right now.

The request sounded like music to Adam's ears. As a response he disconnected himself from Brad's neck, unbuckled his lover's belt and pulled his pants off along with his underwear. He tossed them aside the bed. Brad remembered the first time he was fully naked in front of Adam; he was nervous, but now he didn't feel like that for one bit. No, he was way too horny for that. Adam kicked off his boots and took off his own pants and underwear, tossing them on the ground as well. He wanted to plunge inside Brad right away, but he stopped himself from doing so. He didn't want to hurt him, he deserved a good preparation. Adam doubted there was any lube in this hotel room; he guessed he had to do it the old fashioned way. He gently trailed two fingers over Brad's lower lip. 'Suck.' the party animal mumbled. He didn't even finish saying that word yet and the former General Manager had already wrapped his tongue around the fingers. He pulled them inside his mouth and started sucking on them, making sure they were wet enough.

After a little while Adam pulled the soaking wet fingers out of his mouth. 'Get on your hands and knees.' he said. 'The preparation will hurt less like that.' Brad nodded, got up, turned around and got on his hands and knees. Clenching his fists in the sheets, he bit his lower lip in anticipation. He hadn't done this in quite a while, he hoped it wouldn't hurt too much. The former General Manager softly gasped when he suddenly felt Adam's fingertips against his entrance, followed by a slightly burning pain when the fingers were forced inside him. He hissed in pain through his clenched teeth.

'Are you alright, Braddy? Am I hurting you?' Adam gently asked while moving the fingers in and out.

'I'm okay… I can take it.'

It didn't last long before the party animal found Brad's sweet spot once more, brushing it over and over again, making the former General Manager see white spots in front of his eyes and cry out in pleasure.

After a little while, Adam pulled his fingers out, leaving Brad panting for air while his cheeks turned bright red.

'Oh God… Adam… please put it inside me, now!' he pleaded with a hoarse voice.

'As you wish… Braddy.' With one swift thrust, Adam completely buried his manhood inside Brad, letting out a ragged moan as he felt the hot tightness clench around him. The mix of pain and pleasure made Brad's mind go numb, it was so overwhelming. Wrapping his arms around his waist and resting his head against his lover's shoulder blade, Adam began thrusting at a steady yet fast pace, not wanting to hurt Brad. Jesus, it felt so good to make love to him again, he missed this so much… With every brush against his prostate, Brad could feel his mind going numb more and more. This felt so good, so damn good… He didn't care how loud his moans, groans and cries were, he didn't care if he woke up the entire hotel. Making love with Adam was all he wished for now.

'Lie down on your back…' the former General Manager moaned.

'Why?'

'I… I want to… ride you…'

The thought of it turned Adam on even more. He pulled out and lied down on his back. Brad crawled over and straddled himself on Adam's lap. Letting out a soft hiss of pleasure, he lowered himself on his length; the mix of pain and pleasure returned once more, but this time the pleasure was much stronger than the pain.

'Oh God! B-Braddy!' Adam gasped when the tightness wrapped around him again.

'Yesss…' the former General Manager moaned. He began to ride Adam as if his life depended on it, the brushes against his prostate made him want to go on more and more. Adam's breath was nearly cut off, he had never experienced anything like this before. Holy damn, where did he learn to roll his hips like that? Did he learn it from somebody… maybe from a man? Adam hoped not. But the mind-numbing pleasure quickly snapped him out of his thoughts. Closing his eyes, he enjoyed every single second of this moment, wishing for it to never end. He rested his hands on Brad's thighs while he was still riding him. A thin layer of sweat covered both their bodies as the pleasure flared uncontrollably.

'Adam… I think I'm… I'm gonna come!'

'Braddy… Braddy!'

The party animal grabbed Brad's shoulder and pulled him in for a kiss. Feeling those lips against his, his hand on his thigh and the pounding against his prostate finally made Brad fall over the edge, moaning loudly in the kiss as he came, spilling it all over Adam's stomach. The tightening around him send Adam to his climax as well; letting out a grunt, he came deep inside Brad.

For a moment they didn't move for one bit. Soon they broke the kiss and the former General Manager rolled off from Adam, gasping for air. This had to be the most intense love making session he had in his entire life… With his eyes half-lidded, Adam stared at Brad's face; the sight made him smile from ear to ear. His eyes were closed, his cheeks were colored bright red and the corners of his mouth were curled into the most relaxed smiled ever. So adorable… Adam ran his fingers through his messy hair, earning a soft hum from Brad. The former General Manager scooted a bit closer to Adam and nuzzled his face against his chest. Adam continued stroking his hair, touching those brown tresses was nearly addicting. He paused for a little bit to kiss Brad on the head.

Both lovers were truly on cloud nine. The incident may had shattered the love and trust between them, but on this night, it looked like everything had been repaired between them. Brad didn't feel one bit of resentment towards Adam any longer; he no longer saw a man who broke his heart, he saw a man who made him feel beloved. Once more, Adam managed to make him fall in love with him again. He had forgiven Adam.

This had to be the greatest night of his life. Braddy had come back to him, he loved him again. Adam made a promise to himself to never hurt him like that ever again; from now on he would take more responsibility in this relationship. He had lost Braddy, but he got him back, something he would forever treasure. Feeling Braddy so close to him was a blessing.

It was completely silent between them as they both enjoyed this moment of pure tranquility.

'Braddy?' Adam suddenly asked after a little while.

'Yeah?'

'Are you still planning to leave WWE?'

'Are you out of your mind?' Brad chuckled. 'I'm staying. As long as you are here, everything is alright.'

The party animal let out a soft sigh in relief. Thank God, he wasn't going to leave after all.

'We should tell them tomorrow.' Brad said.

'Hm? Tell them what?'

'That we're in a relationship. They should know.'

Adam nodded. They were in love, the whole world had the right to know that. They wouldn't care if they would receive negative comments; those people were just big lemons. And he was pretty sure the revelation would be positively received by the WWE; hell, if Darren could pull it off, then they could do that as well.

'That's the best idea ever, Braddy.' Adam replied with a smile. He pulled Brad in for a hug and gave him another kiss on the head.

**And that was 'Do I Wanna Know'! I do not own the lyrics of the song from 'The Arctic Monkeys'. Thank you for reading and reviewing it, I hope you all enjoyed it. See you next time! **


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